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MICROCOPY RESOLUTION TEST CHART
(ANSI and ISO TEST CHART No. 2)
^ APPLIED irvMGE I
^^^ i653 East Moin Fireet
SVS Rochester, New York 1461') USA
^5 (716) 482- OJOO- Phone
^S (716) 288- 5989 -Fax
(
E>
IHu
A h
ShoIi
lU
SEA '"- T '^ -^-^-^ '^
^D LANI>
AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY
The mum m Mm Tilings of Natnre EiistiDg More
•6
anil since tlie Delnge.
EMBODYING DESCRIPTIONS OF THE MIGHTV wnr>, r. «r.
BEING
A NATURAL HISTORY OF THE SEA.
Illutfrated by Stirring Adventurat with Whalet D 'i c-
INCLUDING
A HISTORY OF THE WORLD ASHORE. THE SURPRl^Fc; tmat aoc ^
IN ALL THE REGIONS OF THE EARTH IN tLp 1,k,oI ^° ^^ ^^ ^'TH
ANI>4AL IN<?FrT AMn wl^7 ' '^ ^^^ KINGDOMS OF
MiMi «AL. INSECT AND VEGETABLE CREATION.
ALSO,
*^A NATURAL HISTORY OF LAND-CREATURES^
TO WHICH IS APPENDED A DESCRIPTION OF
THK ( AXMIULS AM) \M|j> ha( Ks ok THK ANOKIJ)
Th«ir Customs. Habits. Ferocity and Curious Ways.
Anthor of "The World'a Wonde^a," "Heroes of the Plaina." "Exile lilfe in
%
Siberia," eto.,eto.
SUPERB EMBLEMATIC COLORED PLATES. -
SOLD BY SUBSC^PTiojf ^oj^LY.
Published bv
'X. S. ROBERTSON & BROS.
TORONTO, ONT.
^50
Copyright, 1887, by J. W. Buek,
INTRODUCTORY.
Q *
JHE work of preparing the following pages has beP„
' ^P->-ly pleasant one, prompted TitwaT by
passionate love for the wnnrlo^A i • « "j' a
valuable stn<l, it permitted in ti: ^ .^ Xonr' t''^
ana observation. Before co™„,encing to harvest " lelTl
nature's wonders, or to glean behind L reape s ^ho ,
ceded „e in the unfolding of the curLZ of sea anTlfT
<iDie ner resources, how marvelous tlie diversitv of h..
creative power Aq T r.^^ j j , "iversiiy ot her
each new^wlder tlT^^, ^ft^ '^ "^"^ ''"''■
until I became fairl, ^^iulT^Z fl^LVZZT
^ ">::;L"r:tinrr;hrtt"r^'' '^-^
1^^. cm, those th^ings w'hieh a'^Testllr TZ pir tZ
toineitead:rintot:x^:j:,:rbr<' r' "'^<''
ed with the evolutions in nalre Id 2 ' '""'"""'■
with which we are lea« f , ™"""' 'P'"'*^^ o'' "f«
Hi,tor. r ? ""''"' 'o "''*" ""> «t»dy of Katural
2
SEA AND LAND.
Standing and appreciation of, the mysterious and infinite wisdom
of nature's God.
Though I have been somewhat of a traveler, my own observa-
tions find place in comparatively few of the following pages,
having confined myself principally to discoveries made by more
noted investigators. In so doing I have simred nothing to
become familiar with the works of the greatest travelers and
scientists, and to glean from them their most valuable and inter-
esting revelations, by which we are brought into familiar acquaint-
anceship with every portion of the globe, and the wonderfully
divejsified vegetable and animal life thereon. To attain this end
more perfectly, I have consulted more than a thousand standard
books of Natural History, and have carefully endeavored to trans-
fer the best thought of each to this work ; to these several good
authors I therefore desire to extend my acknowledgments, and to
give them the larger credit, reserving to myself only whatever
merit I may deserve for gathering their ideas and discoveries
from out so large a library and condensing them into a single
book, to which I have given the comprehensive title, " Sea and
Land."
J. W. B.
•*':
finite wisdom
own observa-
lowing pages,
lade by more
1 nothing to
travelers and
•le and inter-
liar acquaint-
! wonderfully
ttain this end
jand standard
Dred to trans-
several good
tnents, and to
nly whatever
d discoveries
into a single
3, "Sea and
J. W. B.
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
EMBLEMATIC
Page.
FRONT-
COLORED
ISPIECK.
Illustrating the Solar Lunar Tides........ 18
Tidal Inundations on the Danish Coast..
Vessel in a Storm at Sea {after£>ore).'..
The Terrible Water-Spout
The Luminous Sea
Fishes of the Silurian Age '. .
Early Man Contending with the Plesio'
saurus •
The Flying Pterodactyl .. ^ ..', f^
The Teleosaurus -g
The Great Turtle. ' * " *.*.*. ... *. \
Combat Between the Ichthyosaurus and
Plesiosaurus ^.
Monsters of the Kansas Plains in Their
Last Struggles >g
Neptune's Cup '..,.. 47
Sponge Gathering in the Mediterranean.. 51
Architectural Wonders of the Coral- Worm 53
Birth of the Coral- Worm
21
23
25
30
32
34
42
Adventure with
Page.
100
54
Island Built by Coral-Worms 57
The Taredo, or Ship -Worm
Lieutenant Lamont's
Devil-Fish
The Angler, or Frog-Fish ....
Stomias Boa, or Serpent- Fish ,03
The Angel, or Monk-Fish '. .".'. *. ' 105
The Pegasus Dragon !*!!.*.* .106
TKe Sea-Horse \\ *."**,q-
The Beautiful and Curious ."...!!!! 109
Romans Watching the Expiring Throes of
a Mullet
Fishing for Electrical Eels by the Aid of
Horsts.
The Sting-Ray ••....... ....*!!*.*i,6
The Portuguese Man-of- War !*..'..**. 1 18
The Stinging Sea-Nettle
Stickleback in its Nest ...*^
The Archer-Fish
Queer Fishes of the Mediterranean
The Jumping-Fish of Borneo ,,,
The Walking-Fish ['^^
131
.120
.131
.123
.125
The Land-Traveling Perch..
The Climbing-Perch.
Cocoanut-Ea.j;g Tn^bs ::: ^ Sea Gryphon (an old print) V^^
- • ■ " - ^^ ! £oo''>ng a Dinner on Leviathan's Back. . . 143
146
a Whale.. 148
The Japanese Spider-Crab
Crab Lifting a Goat 1
The Nautilus, in three positions *. 68
A Giant Rock-Squid y.
Frightful Adventure with an Octopus 74
The Kraken Sinking a Ship 75
The Giant Cuttle-Fish, as seen from the
Ship Alecton »_
Attack on the Great Cuttle-Fish ., 81
Battle with an Octopus. 3,
Mangin's Sea-Serpent (from an old print). 86
The Sea-Serpent of Ancient Legend 89
Sea-Serpent of Hans Egidius 9,
Gigantic Sea- Weed Resembling a Serpent 96
The Sperm Whale
Smashing of the Ship Essex by _ . . „„.^
A Whale-boat Knocked Skyward....".".. ^53
The Right, or Greenland Whale ' ' 1 r6
Pursuing a Whale |',gQ
An Exciting Pursuit .".'.*!.'.* i6s
Sounding. -^
Cutting up a Whale .' .* '. .".'.' *. * '. '. " * " J!^
The White, or Basking Shark. ...."...'..'.'170
Shark Fishing jj'
Boy Bitten in Twain by a Shark. .... .'.'.*.' 19a
Courageous Attack on a Shark 194
Excitement of Shark Fishing ,','107
The Hammer-Head Shark ! ! 199
SEA AND LAND.
Page.
The Great Pilgrim Shark 201
The Kemora, or Sucker- Fish 204
Sicilians Hunting the Sword- Fiih.. 207
Ferocioua Attack of Sword-Fiih 209
H ipooninga Swjnl-Fish 211
Sword -Fish Stabbing a Tunny 213
Savage Battle With a Sword Fish 215
The Sailor Sword Fish 217
The Saw- Fish jio
Terrible Fight With a Saw-Fish ...221
A Friendly Visitor jj,
Capt. Paul Boynton Attacked by a Dug
„^'«'' 225
Perilous Position of two Hoys 227
Russian Mode of Capturing the Sturgeon.229
Page,
Swift- Winged Frigate Bird ,,6
The Phantom Ship ."322
Fabled Mermaid and Merman -'...iJS
The Ancient Mariner, (after Dore)...." in
343
The Dolphin
Apollo Riding the Fabled Dolphin 232
Eyed Pteraclis
The Coryphene
The Manatns at Home
The Beautiful Crested Seal
Seal and Walrus Hunting in the Froz
Sea
Seal Rocks off San Francisco
Walrus, Sea-Lion and Seals
A Battle with Walruses
Esquimau Walrus Hunter
The Monster Sea-Elephant 259
The Trumpet Seal ......261
The Polar Bear in His Chosen Haunt .... 263
Hunter Mangled by a Polar Bear 266
231
•234
23s
•237
239
I
242
244
252
256
257
•345
•347
•349
•35'
•353
•355
■357
359
361
.363
365
367
369
371
373
EMBLEMATIC COLORED PLATE ..
Pan-Kou Che, the Chinese Deity 376
Thor, the Scandinavian Creator. ^78
Labyrinthodon, Restored ^go
Megalosaurus and'iguanodon 382
The Ramphorynchus ,84
,38s
389
Dragon, of Ancient Belief.
The Hadrosaur and
mals
Contemporary Ani
The Monster Dinotheria Qq,
pX Rrr'^Tw "[ ' T^u"""' "^^ ^^^'■'"' ^^""^ ^"d "» Surroundings.'.".;;. ,0!
Polar Bear and Walrus Fightmg 268 The Megatherium... Ill
NorwhalFishinguff Greenland 271
Whale Attacked by a Norwhal 272
Gavial Crocodile of the Ganges 274
Scene on the Margin of Bolgodde Lake.. 277
Woman Carried off by a Crocodile 280
Scene on the Upper Nile 281
Manner of Hunting the Crocodi e by Ben-
395
go Natives .
289
Battle Between a Crocodile and Tiger... .293
Missionary Seized 1/ an Alligator .,296
Fight Between a Bear and Alligator ...... 298
Catching a Sleeping Turtle in the Mozam-
„^'q"« 3-0
Home of the Lcather-B.ick Turtle 302
The Snapping, or Tiger-Turtle ! .* 304
The Gor-'ou and Its Nest Village .... \o6
The Crested Grebe "
The Serpent Bird .
The Wandering Albatross
•309
•309
•314
The Mammoth and ContemporaryAnimals 397
The Mammoth During the Age of Man. ..399
Forest of the Carboniferous Period .400
The Great Woolly Rhinoce« os 402
Ancient Animals of the Thames, 404
The Hand Animal .^^
The Dinornis, or Terrible Bird 407
Comparative Size of Eggs 408
The Wingless Bird of New Zealand 409
Primeval Man Battling with the Cave Bear. 41 1
Imaginary Scene of the Biblical Deluge.. 413
Funeral Feast in the Great Bear Period.. .415
Feast During the Reindeer Period 417
A Family of the Stone Age 419
The Earliest Manufactory of Flints 422
Man of the Reindeer Period 424
A Giaiial Deluge 427
Fimeial Ceremony During the Reindeer
^Poch 429
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
Page.
'^ 316
322
■"""»" 3i3
her Dore) 341
" 343
" 345
" 347
11
J49
' 35^
353
: ^«
357
' 359
' 361
' 363
365
367
369
371
373
2D PLATE
i5"ty 376
'ator. 378
380
on 382
384
385
smporary Ani
389
391
""things 393
395
oraryAnimals 397
ge of Man... 399
Period 400
OS. . . k 402
nes, 404
405
rd 407
408
ealand 409
bCave Bear. 411
cal Deluge.. 413
;ar Period... 41 5
eriod 417
419
Flints 422
424
427
he Reindeer
429
Page.
Animals Not Destructible by Fire 434
Great Lantern Fly ,5
Calosoma Pursuing a Bombardier 437
An Army of Ants on the March 440
Ant Milking its Cow 4.2
Carpenter Bee and its Chambers 445
The Diving Bell Spider 447
Pit of the Ant Lion 44,^
The Tarantula .r2
Chicken Spider Killing a Humming Bird. 454
Bread Fruit Tree. . . . , 450
The Weepini,' Tree.. 46,
The Wine Tree .'...463
Manna, or Sugar-Tree 4^4
Wax Palm of the Ancles 466
Exiracting Milk from the Cow-Tree 469
The Upas Tree of Java 472
Venus Fly-Trap ...'.'474
The Ya-te-veo, or Man-Fating Plant 476
Chapel 0.1k in Normandy 473
Gigantic Baobab .^
Chestnut Tree of a Hundred Horses 482
Gutta-Percha Tree.
486
The Interrupted Feast 480
Battleof the Monarchs 40,
A Criminal Eaten by a Lion "495
Method of Hunting the Lion in Northern
Africa ^„„
• •'• 499
Savage Satisfaction Exhibited by a Tiger. 502
Gerard's Adventure with a Wounded
Lion ^
The Lion Carrying Oflf Poor Hendric .... .512
A Hair-breadlh Escape ,-,5
A Disastrous Fight ...ziS
Mr.lCaldwin's Marvelous Escape......".' ^20
A Broadside Shot ' .^^
Wonderful Tenacity of Life i'n'a Liones's.' '. 524
How the Lion Seizes a Buffalo 526
A Sheik's Brave Defense of His Followers 528
A Tourist's Fortunate Escape from a Tiger 5 -2
Combat Between the Jungle Monarchs.. .534
T'ger Hunting, by Night, in India 538
Hist 1 The Tiger is Approaching 540
Ghoorka Hunter Killing a Tiger 542
A Tiger's Daring Attack on an Indian
Officer
A Woman Carried Off by a Tiger."......" 549
Battle Between the Elephant and Tiger.* \rc
A Herd of Elephants at the Bath 557
The So-called White Elephant .".561
Manner of Capturing the Asiatic Elephint.s64
Page.
Kaffir Elephant Hunters egg
Manner in Which the Bari Hunters Attack
the Elephant --,
Night Scene on Lake Ngami 574
Mir.iculous Escape from a Mad Elephant. 576
A Herd of India Elephants Sporting 580
How the Carcass of an Elephant is Dis-
posed of ^g2
Sanderson and the Rogue Elephant 586
Camming Charged by an Elephant 589
A Close Charge and Lucky Escape 591 ,
Cooking un Elephant's Foot .'594
Tragic Death of Officer McClane 1.597
Abyssinian Sword-Hunters Confusing an
Elephant g^Q
Wo' Jerful Feat of the Abyssinian Elephant
Hunters g
Combat Between an Elephant and Rhi-
noceros
^ „^. 606'
A Rhmoceros Attacking a Wagon 610
Battle of the Giants ,5,2
A Great Hunter in a Perilous Situation. . .615
Wonderful Ride of a Namaqua Hunter.. .619
Anderssonin His Skarm at Night 621
Baker's Race with Rhinoceri 626
Vicious Charge of a Rhinoceros 629
Baker's Coolness in a Trying Situation... 631
A Rhinoceros Charging Baker's Horse. ..635
Disastrous Charge Among the Dogs 638
A Rhinoceros Charging a Team 639
The Hunter Hunted .
641
The Hippopotamus, 64.
Spear-Trap for Killing Hippos '. ....646
Hunting on the Atbara River r,48
Abou Do Attacks the Hippo 652
Exciting Hippo Hunt 5,7
Trying to Drag the Monster on Short .... 659
Mode of Hunting the Hippo 663
Battle with a Hippo 665
Dr. Holeb's Thrilling Adventure 667
Wild Dogs of Africa 55^
A Leopard Beset by Wild Dogs 673
The Gorilla g_g
Female Gorilla and Young 680
Du Chaillu's Captives 683
Combat Between Two Gorillas 686
Gorilla Killing a Leopard 688
Natives Hunting the Orang Outan 690
Orang Outan Killing a Hunter 692
Orang Outan Abducting a Woman 694
Chimpanzee Carrying Off a Woman 701
SEA AND LAND.
_ . Page.
Baboon and Gibbons 704
Howling Monkeys ....705
Grizzly Bear Carrying Off a Deer ! ! ! 707
Sad Termination ot a Grizzly Bear Hunt.. 709
Cattle Attacked by a Grizzly jn
Fight Between a Grizzly and Buffalo 713
An African Pigmy 7,0
A Pigmy Village !."!.'. 724
Du Chaillu Among the Pigmies 729
Niam-Niam Warriors 7,5
Fan Cannibals Attacking a Village 739
A Fan Auctioning Off His Daughter. 741
_ , ^ Page.
Celebrating the Grand Customs in Da-
'»on'e 7jg
An Amazon Review jeg
A Dyak Village '.'.'.'.765
Types of the Fuegian Race. 761
Fuegians Feasting off a Whale 784
Patagonians Hunting With the Bolas 786
Esquimaux in their Kyack Boats 790
The Wauru Lake Dwellers 703
Arabs Attacking the Bakone Tree-Dwell-
ers »-„
•••• •«•••. 797
Monkey Men of New Guinea. 799
I !
Page.
Customs in Da-
756
758
765
« 761
^hale 784
htheBolas 786
c Boats 7j9o
' 793
3ne Tree-Dwell-
797
aca. 700
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
MYSTERIES OF THE DEEP SEA.
CHAPTER I.
Beginning of the World— How the Ocean was Evolved— Wonders of the Primitive Sea-
Preponderance of Life in the Sea Over that on Land — Vitalizing Effects of Rain — The World
Once an Universal Ocean — How Water Grew Out of Flames— Life that Preceded Man— The
Tides and Mow They Are Caused— Effects of Winds— Dreadful Devastation of the Tides —
Storms, Whirlpools and Water-Spouts — Description of a Storm at Sea—The Author's Experi-
ence— Destruction of Ships by Ocean Cyclones 15 — 26
CHAPTER n.
CURIOSITIES OF THE OOEAN.
Why is the Ocean Salt ?— Mangin's Theory— Useful Purpose Served by the Salt of the
Sea— Why Rain is Invariably Fresh Instead of Salt— The Ocean Essential to Life on the
Barth — Gleaming Lights of the Sea— What Mak- he Ocean Sometimes Luminous— Wonder-
ful Displays of Phosphorescence 26 — ^31
CHAPTER III.
PREHISTORIC MONSTERS OF THE DEEP.
Buried Continents — How Creation Prepared the Way for Giant Saurians — Beginning of
Life in the Sea — The First Fish Created — Saurian Monsters — The Terrible Ichthyosaurus and
Ghoulish Plesiosaurus — Mangin's Description — The Conflict for Existence — Services to
Nature Rendered by Sea Monsters — A Horrible Creature — The Megalosaurus — The Flying
Pterodactyl — The Invulnerable Teleosaurus — A Creature that was Lizard, Tortoise and Croc-
odile all in One 31—39
CHAPTER IV.
THE PRE-HISTORIC AMERICAN OOEAN.
Death of Oceans — Causes which Produced Displacements — The Ancient Ocean Bed of
Kansas — Discoveries of Gigantic Remains of Extinct Animals — A Tremendous Turtle — Fly-
ing Reptiles of Astounding Size — Combats Between Great Ocean Creatures — The Largest
Animal Capable of Motion on Land — Fish-Birds — A Creature Two Hundred Feet Long — ^An
Animal Eighty Feet Tall— Two Titanic Birds— The Last Struggles of Monsters in the Kansa,
Pool , 39—48
CHAPTER V.
APPEARANCE OF LAND ANIMALS.
The Epoch of Great Change — Monster Saurians Feeding Off Each Other— Whales of the
Primitive Seas — Evolution of Life in the Sea — How Land Creatures Were Evolved from the
Ocean — Birth of Sponges — Marvelous Artisans of the Sea — Flower Gardens of the Sea — Coral
Wonders — Exquisite Beauties of the Coral — Wonderful Works Performed — Curiosities of the
Coral-Worm — Islands Built by Coral-Worms— Other Architects of the Sea — Stone Borers —
The Taredo, or Ship- Worm 4*— 59
7
8
SEA ^ND LAND.
CHAPTER VI.
Th.H v,o ARMOR -OLAO SEA WARRIORS.
Crew Devoured by Cr.b^M^^.Sl S^I-L'^T'''''' ' ^""'-C^b-A Ship„,.cked
A c,.b ,.„ ur,.d . a.,-THe ja':::: e";L:S-5L-r^rs^£:;^^^^^^^ .-^^^
CHAPTER VII
M , , . . HORRrBLE MONSTERS OF THE DEEP
.He HtrLiptnTo°:,:jrjit:"pS"?v„tr ^^^^
gerations of Pliny and Aristotle-The rl.MV.^^ ]°"" °' ^^^ ^'^"' Octopus-Exag-
a Terrible Sc^J-fJcTaI^^J:^,^^^^^^^^ 1 Antediluvian Times-AUackcd b'y
Ship Atucked by a Monster S^uM-F c s Ibo^rGtlnt Vl "^"^^ '''^" '^ Cathedral-'
Depths of the Sea-Capture of a GiganttcutUefi?rn' ^^'-"^--Monsters in the Great
Anin.al-The Ship-DesLying K^Z.-MottvX^^^^^^^^^ Made hy the Awful
Monstrosity-Battie with an Octopus Varns-A Bishop's Testimony-A Sea
68—84
CHAPTER VIII.
-, ., „ THE SEA SERPENT.
thecr^rsi^p-r^Gri^E;^^^^^
Adventures of Hans Egidlu,iDescript!ons S S ? '^ ' °f^ Serpent Fifty Feet Long-I
. Haunts of Sea-Serpentslsea-Sefpen. Wal^Tn n"''."'' ^Tl '"' Captured-Favofite
Viewed by Hundreds of People-K of ^e s«^^^^^^^^^ l''^''^' Eighty Feet Long
A Serpent Six Hundred Feet LonTlAF^JZfT^^^^^ Confoundedi
Chain ofHogsheads-Captan HarfiniJ^tl L '^T"^ Sea-Serpent that Resembled a
Sea Product that Resen,bl« a Serpe t-The Grel^T ""p'"'''" Robert's Sea-Serpent-A
ence of the Sea-Se.ent-No One S' Polftlv SX^^f ^ fc ^uJ-^ .^ ^^^
CHAPTER IX.
A r ^"^ DEVIL-FISH AND ITS INFERNAL KIN
iraordmar. Power of the Devil Fi.h Off h? , "'','''»'>■ "A Lot of Surprised Sailors - Ex-
Were Kor..r,, K.tted o„ „:„.„1,thTLs:;l?rBr7j„%l^^^^^
98—108
CHAPTER X.
Fi«h fP ^- -. BEAUTIFUL AND CURIOUS FISHES.
Red M^lefbyr A^L^^s-^^^^^^^^^^ J?" Dory-Crue,ties Practised on the
Throes of the Mullef-reMafveToufwi^^^^ ""^'^ Fish-Wonderful Death
the Deep-The Torpedo Fish The Fl,tS'fT^""''°'' """^ Parrot Fish-Warriors of
Horsesa^FisherslinHne fTsI Then'^ '""^^ '" ^''''^'^ '' '^ Caught-
Experiments of a F S NaS^J^t NeTS'Tr'"^ Ray-Floating Nettles-UnpleLant
H..mhnl^..e i„..^.,:_Ii"'^ Naturahst-Ne»t-Bu,ld.ng Fish-Shooting-Fish-Musinal Fi.:h-
ClimbYng P;r;;hlHfJr;:,tts^Ufr'^',;;;:V "° ."^^^ ^^^^^'"^ ^'•^"--^•^^ Wonde-rfm
Summary of Curious Files ..._.' traversing Long Distances Over Land-A
.108—:
35
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER Xr.
THE WORLD DOWN UNDER THE SEA
Dissimilarity of Elements Does Not Necessarily Destroy Harmony of Tdentity-Down
Among Dead Men s Bones-Cc ^.position of the Sea-Maryels of the Ocean-bed-A Land of
. TTr?"'' n^u'^fr" ' ' • '^ '^' Sun-VVondors of the Mighty Deep-Perpetual Snow-
Oce'an!. '^ ' ' '' ^''''''"'^ Rest-Enormous Pressuri at the Bed of the
"^ : 135-139
CHAPTER XII.
MODERN MONSTERS OF THE OCEAN WORLD
The Wonderful Unfoldlngs of Creation-How Does Life Begin ?-A Simple Experiment
Provmg the 1 heory of Evolution-Legends of the Time of Columbus-The Sea Guarded by
Gryphons-Chronicles of the Historiographer of Columbus' First Voyage-Extraordinary Ad-
ventures of Father Ph.loponus-Ship Attacked by a Whale-AServiceof Mass on Its Back
Sed'!.. .?.!.. T ^"'^"'^''""-^ ^1"-'" Ten-fold Worse than the Devil was Ever
139—144
CHAPTER XIIL
TITANIC CREATURES OF THE SEA- WHALES
nf thi Wh tP° c '°''^ °^ the Whale-The Whale Well Known to the Ancients-Peculiarities
iXvlf /T":^'^ ^'^^""^ °^ ^^'^^'^^ Sighted-How the Whale Feeds-Adventures
w,.h Whales-A Maddened Whale Sinks a Snip-A Dutchman Rides a Wh.le-Incidents of
Patahtym the Whale Fi .hery-Force of a Whale's Tail-Dashed to pTece by a Wh el'
m^le ' "/'•^^ Angry Whale-Terrible Smashing o^Vhale Boats-Physical Curi o'si ieTof S^
\\ hale-How the Whale is Killed-Thrilling Adventure of Captain Bellair-A Drldful
Sf'TheW Trt-f""^''"^^^"^' Sky-High-Back, 'or Your Live^ -A ^h S ilg
F.ght-The Work of Butchering a Whale-Whale-flesh as Food-Fight Between a WhTlnf
Grampus-A Whale's Devotion to its Young-Inveterate Enemies of the Whale . . ^^-"77
CHAPTER XIV.
THE VORACIOUS SHARK.
Dreadful Armature of the Shark-Adventures With Sharks-Capture of a Shark-Fearful
Casualties From Man-Eating Sharks-A Singular Way of Killing Sharks-AComnlnv
Men Devoured by Sharks-A Shipwrecked Crew Attacked by sSs-t ribte SuSn"
Fortuude of an Officer Whose Legs Were Bitten off by Sha'ks-Voracity and Tenacit^ 7f
it~t °:l^ ?Z ^'"' '^ ^ Shark-Shipwrecked and Eaten by Sharkl-A Man To ^ .n
Pieces by a Shark-A Lad Bitten in Two by a Shark-Terrible Adventure of a Dive 1a
Scourge From Birth-Shark Fishing-Worship of the Shark-Members of he Voraciout
Satt ;!::.!".!'::"'" °'^'^ Shark-FldeUty of the Pilot-FisLxhe WoTdeS
178—205
CHAPTER XV.
THE SWORD-FISH AND SAW-FISH.
Fi.h i F '^^^'fl'^'"' ^^^"^ »he Sword- Fish by Songs-Attacked by a Sword Fish-How the
Fish IS Frenz.ed by Parasites-Charac;er of the Saw-Fish-Battle With a Sal Fish-Thl
ZIZ ^;^-.f ^^^.«°>' -/ ^- '^-en by Dog-Fish-Paul Boynton's IdveLre Wi^h a
Sse "al Fold The nYh'" '''JZ^^y^-''' ^'-g— «- Captured and Prepared for
re^D^^I^T^^Sr^phrr^^^^^^^^ ' P.raclisiLegends
' 205 — 230
CHAPTER XVL
MARINE MEN.
ti. rl ^"""^ F^'nily-Fables of Old-Catching a Monk at Sea-Strange Variety and Domes-
among Seals-A o.ganlic Leap and Terrible Combats-Adventures in Hunting the Seal^Anec-
]0
f •
SEA AND LAND.
CHAPTER XVII.
THE MIQHTY POLAR BEAR.
Amphibious Character of the Polar Bear— Th» h«,^tt tt ,
Powers-Dangers of Attacking the PolL bL llu , ^" Leads-Hi, Extraordinary
Polar Bear-Battles with the Po t B^^l Wo"7^^^^^^^ Polar B Mangled byT
of two Cubs ^vvonaertul Maternal Love Manifested by die Mother
' 262 — 269
THE
CHAPTER XVIII.
NARWHAL - CROCODILE.
Unict'.THori^T\Tsr^^^^^ ^^-^ Attributed to the
Sea-Mail-Clad Crocodiles-Infanfsa^riCt^Cr:^^^^^^^ *'« ""'-™ ^^ «»>-
Crocodiles-Man Seized by a Cro^iditrDe" h of th« ^f "^^ Adventures with Ceylon
codile-A Safe Place of ^0081^70^1?°°'*""^°'"^" Devoured by a Cro-
HuntcH-Man Torn^;^''^ Tife^C stv"es Sn'^rf'^-.^"" '"" ""^'^'''^ -
Englishman Devoured by Crocodiles-Fxdtin.ATv.fr by Crocodiles-A Distinguished
dile-" Nobody but a Slave; but oMhe Cklt-^^^^^^ by a Croco-
esting Superstitions-Baale Between a Tiger and CroTod^^^^^^ "^^"^"'^ .?,' ^''^-^°'-
.onary Seized by an Alligator-Fight Between an X^.., ^'""°"' Alhgator-Miss-
CHAPTER XIX. 270-305
T,. „ BIRDS OF THE 8EA.
Supeltilirif^the^P^L'n^^^^^^^^^^ ^-^o-A Serpentine Bird-
Mother Carey Chickens-The Wandei^li^^ °^ ''"''''' ^'"6-
Winged Frigate-Bird-Pirates of the AlJ^f"^"^''"^ ^°' Albatross-The Swk
305—317
CHAPTER XX.
1 ^ r . SUPERariTIONS AND LEGENDS OF THE SEA
Legend of the Pillars of Hercules-Monsters of fh. at aP
Ocean Navigation-Superstitions of Cotmbus' c ewlJ^e^'^^^^^^ 0"^'° ^f
the Sea-Singular Beliefs Still Prevailing-Off«Tnes to tlrHr"" ^h-P-Witchcraft on
Ship^Launching and Christening a Shlp-MyteCsI^^^^^^^^^ J'" ^"''» ^^"^^
Marvelous Bird-Bearin? Tree.» n«/ n^T^ 0^° Islands-Virtues of a Child's Caul-
Stories of Mermai^rH^hT^de^'M!:^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
THE WORLD ASHORE.
CHAPTER XXI.
TU n ,. , UNFOLDING OF CREATION BY EVOLUTION
The Growth of Earth on fnfr-Kao.^ Th^ P! , • «-v"lution.
God-Chinese Legend of C^eation-T^T World R?/'" o . ^''^^^""'^"^'rhor, the Thunder
MiehtyConvulsion^First Appearal^;rFtt3fs!5^L-- rim^l^r M^ofrrsl^
CONTENTS .
11
Mo.tTerr.ble of Land Creatures-A Fiend too Dreadful to Look Upon-Birth of the Mam-
Th^^ilrc r ,. ^"^r ^'^"^^--r^^^ frightful Amgator-Bird-The Ma.todon-
The Gigantic Megathenum-Olher Dreadful Creatures in the Early Age of the World-The
Coming of Man— Telluric Disturbances
375—395
CHAPTER XXn.
MONSTERS OF THE QUARTERNARY PERIOD.
SnakesandTurtlesof Enormous Size-Resurrection of the Boaes of Giants-An Earth
Mole Large as an Elephant-The Mammoth-Other Monster Brutes-The Great Birds.
Dmomis and Epiornis <•"""»,
396—409
CHAPTER XXin.
THE BIRTH OF MAN.
Evidences of our First Parents-Where was the Garden of Eden-The Wonderful
Counter of AtlanUs-Plato'sDescription-From Whence Originated the Mythology of the
eS ?^JpLlorh ^;'r7"'"'°'' '"''^"'^ of Creation-Periodical Destruction of th^
Chllnl^Us!.! . . .T Py"^''e°'-»«-Re"'"kable Similarity Between the Mosaicand Aztec
410 — 425
CHAPTER XXIV.
HISTORICAL DELUGES.
The Glacial Deluge-Cause of the Great Glacial Deluge-Theory as to the Periodic De-
Shall Man be Succeeded by a Higher Order of Creation ? J.. , ,
CHAPTER XXV.
WONDERS OF NATURE.
Universality Of Life-Life Existing Even in Fire-Remarkable Fish Found Living in
Boiling Water-Fable of the Phoenix-Bird-Marvelcus Results of Experiments with pfre-
Creatures-Lantem Insects-Wonders of Insect Llfe-The Bombardier, or'shoo.ing Bug-RL
markable Inte Ijgence in Bees-The Process of Queen-Making-Curious Habits of Ants-
Dependency of Master Upon Slave-Ants that Keep Their Own Cows-Battle Between Twa
oreat Arm.esof Ants-House-Eaters and Architects-Carpenterand Joiner Insects-How tie
SdSl?""; '" belnvented-The Plague of Locusts-The Voiacious Ant-Lion^Curi!
?he Chi^kt ^ T"'^"r " ' Spun-Use of the Spider's Den-The Dreadful Tara.t«la-
The Chicken Spider-The Scorpion-Some Astounding Facts About the Scorpion-Youne
Scorpions Subsisting Oflfthe Body of their Mother-A Medley of Curiosities.. ...... 433-456
CHAPTER XXVL
CURIOSITIES OF THE VEGETABLE WORLD.
Tr,^I r' Clock-People Who Live in Palm Trees-The B-ead-Fruit Tree-The Weeping
^Tt T"' M^r""^/'"''-'''^" Manna Tree and Wax-Palm-Trees that Yield Swcef
and Refreshing M.Ik and Butter-Strange SupersUtions Concerning Corn-History of the
Quinine Plant- fhe ^oap and Camphor Trees-The Deadly UpasSree-Serpe.ts o he
Vegetable Kingdom-Ancient Superstitions About Plants-The Bewitching Mandrake-^Car-
TsZ TrtVtt ^r-^'^'i^e «-»^-Giants of the Forest-Historical Trfes of the WorSl
t^nrTTees Thrn "^'?Tr^°'*'*^'"P°'"'"°f ''^^ ^••»g« «''» Living-Immor-
tality of Trees— The Dragon's-Blood Tree of Teneriffe ;, 456—487
CHAPTER XXVIL
THE LION.
P,„3?-^f..T""'' °f Nature-The Lion-How He Wins His Bride-The Lion Fight-
Sn.^hf n '^'T"~l""^' "' '^""■^"'^ «tealing-Eaten by a Lion-Different Modes of
Kilhng the I-.on-Lion-Hunt.ng on Foot, Face to Face-Daring of the Lion-Coolness
kr?hTFaurA t"'J''T'^'°r^r'''°° '*^"""'"» ^ Lover-A^Lion's Feast off HuZ
lesh-The Fatal Attack-Torn by a Lion- Adventure with a Fierce Lioness-Man captured
12
SEA AND LAND.
and Eaten by a Lion— A Soldier Carried off by a Lion-Miraculou, F»r„,» i?
How a Brave Arab was Torn by a Lion-Mr. Baldwin's WonrfLck-Z^^ Te„T7
of Life in a Lioness-How a Lion Seizes a Buffal<^A Sheik's Brave Defense JS' ^T^
ers-Arab Superstitions Concerning the Lion ... '^'"'' °' ""* f ""°*-
487-530
CHAPTER XXVHL
THE TIGER.
The Asiatic Monarch of the Jungle-A Voracious Man Eater-Peculiarities of thp T!
Fierce Combats Between Lions and T;gers-Superiori,y of the Trer-TiL r h ^^'~
th. T^.r takes its Prey-Hunting the Tiger-Why a Simple Woud^WFa^^^^^^^^^^^
Cannibal Propensities of Ticers— Wild Do«<; .hot i^;n /"""''J^.'^*'^^^ fatal to a 1 .ger—
CHAPTER XXIX.
■ 530—556
THE ELEPHANT.
No Mention of the Elephant in Bible Historv Th» a^: .• j .,.
pa„d-Th. So-Calied Whife E,,^,.,^ri^ETj^I:^TlZ\f:Ti''''''"' '='">■
a P..udo White Elepham-The S^red R.-.rrih, , , ' , „ *""""» Expcnenee wid.
How the Elephant Makes His Attack-Perils of Elephant-Shootinp The V ' r ?t'"'~
556—606
CHAPTER XXX.
THE RHINOCEROS.
noce™.„,,.s„o,d^r.<.is'-Dip::r,;.„oahrK:ir^^^^^^^^
CHAPTER XXXL
.. THE HIPPOPOTAMUS.
CONTENTS.
13
gle— Flarpooning a Bull Hippopotamus— A Terrible Fight— Man Killed by a Savage Hippo-
potamus—The Fierceness of Bull Hippopotami— An Exciting Hunt by the Howartii—
Hippopotamus Flesh as a Delicacj— Korbatches Used for Punishing Criminals— A Hippo-
potamus Attacks a Missionary— Nat ve Modes of Killing the Hippopotamus— Attacked by a
Hippopotamus and Her Calf— A Close Call from a Charging Hippopotamus 643—668
CHAPTKR XXXH.
THE WILD DOGS OF AFRICA.
, Description of the Wild Dog— A Singular Creature— Wonderful Tenacity of Life in the
Wild Dog— How the Wild Dogs Hunt— In Great Favor with Native Africans— Wild Dogs
Attack a Lion— The True Lords of the Forest 668—67-
CH AFTER XXXHL
THE GORILLA, ORANQ OUTAN AND CHIMPANZEE.
Does Such a Creature as the Gorilla Exist ?-Du Chaillu the Only Witness— The Possibility
of the Gorilla and Orang Outan Being IdenticaW-The Skeletons Exhibited by Du Chuillu—
Du Chatllu's Adventures with Gorillas-Face to Face with a Monster— Capture of a Gorilla—
A Pitiable Spectacle- A Pair of Baby Gorillas-Terrific Battles Between Male Gorillas-Fights
Between Leopards and Gorillas— Attempts to Deceive the Pubfic- The Berlin Animal and
Barnum's Creation- The Orang Outan— Similarity Between the Orang Outan and Gorilla-
Power and Ferocity of the Orang Outan— Love for Pretty Women Exhibited by the Orang
Outan-Kidnaping Women— The Ferocious Mandrill— Man Attacked by a Mandrill-The
Mandrill's Love for Women-How it Watches Villages forVictims-A Strange Incident-A
Monkey Enamored of a Young Girl-The Human Ape or Chimpanzee— How the Chimpanzee
Fights With Clubs-Human-Like Habits of the Chimpanzee-Chimpanzees Abducting
Women—A Curious Baboon Hunt— Howling and Preacher Monkeys.,.. 675-706
CHAPTER XXXIV.
THE MIGHTY GRIZZLY BEAR.
Ferocity and Power of the Grizzly Bear-His Habits and Untamable Disposition-How
He Catches His Prey— Hunting the Grizzly-An Appalling Accident to a Hunter— How the
Grizzly Attacks Cattle-Battles Between the Grizzly and Buflfalo— Man Killed by a Pet
Grizzly— A LitUe Girl Fatally injured by a Captive Grizzly 706—714
WILD RACES OF THE WORLD.
CHAPTER xkxV.
WONDERFUL PIGMIES OF AFRICA.
Africa the Land of Wonders— Giants that Once Existed in Africa— Evidences of Early
Pigmy Races-The Pigmies of Homer and Other Poets-Pigmies and the Cranes-Positive
Proof of a .^igmy Race— Schweinfurlh's Discdveries— Interview with an African Dwarf-The
Dancing Dwarf-Confirmatory Evidences of Pigmies-Du Chaillu's Hunt for Dwarfs-He
Discovers a Pigmy Village-Catching a Pigmy Woman-The Dwarfs Become Friendly with
Du Chaillu— A Wonderlul Assembly of Pigmies- 1 he Story of the Dwarfs as Told by Them-
selves-How the Pigmies Bury Their Dead-Singular S'lperstitions 714-732
CHAP'ER XXXVI.
CANNIBAL RACES — THE MONBUTTO.
The Line Which Separates Man From the Beast— Lowest Order of the Human Race—
The Monbutto Cannibals-A King Who Dines Off Babies-The Monlmtto Race a Superior
14
SEA AND LAND.
fwt. .7.;. ... "*' Custom-Feasting Off an In.
• ••• •••• •»»» •••• t*fl» •••• ##•• 7'^2— ^iS
CHAPTER XXXVII.
CHAPTER XXXVIir. *" ,
H- r ^"^ BONNY CANNIBALS
CHAPTER XXXIX. '
The K-5n„ f n u "^"^ DAHOME AND A8HANTI PEOPLE
tionofthe Grand Custom-The Amazon Soidi!r n ^ f" ""°"~"'"'">''« Celebra-
In.eresting Review-Storming a FtTipetishSLTr.'^"'"'" °' ^^e Amazons-An
Congo Country-How Women^ave Co^'ld^hfDX of^o^^^^^^^ Races-History of the
CHAPTER XL.
Un.ccouTble°Drren°c:sB^re?Ra?eLH^ ''V' '"' '^^^---'
Nation of Head-Hunters-Super^Ss Sacr L^m'' f ''/ P^^^^'-How They Became a
People on Earth-Morality of^ie Se^t Tyre^'^H !p'/'? "'" ^yaJ^'-The Happiest
From Disease and Insanfty-The Horrfb e Ba^^ f «°^'''«'^^ °^ ^"^ Kind-Freedom
Children Eating TT.eir Pafents-o" er Saer^^^^^^^^^
Crimes Punishable by Death-The vTctfrl 1^7 Eatr H °' ^--^x^"— The Foar
Upon-Men Cut into Pieces and Fed Raw^o the Peonlflr-T T^" *°° Dreadful to Look
nibalism-The Most Curious of All PeoJelpJefeS^^^^ ^'"P'*^ ^"^^ Practice Can-
Differences Between the Fuegians ^ndZXau^Zll^^'iT '" " ^d"""°''* ^°'"'»'y~
Prowess of the Fuegians-Wonderful Stone Throwit^S ofFueg.an Huts-Weapons and
Filthy Habits and Rare Imitative Powers of ih^T~'^^^''^"'^ Dogs-Cannibalism-
Fuegians-Habits of the Pata^niaL-Ipe t in ?h"''~'^"T^ Compared with the
HayU-Dreadful Voudou Sacrifices of Infrn, /^ ^'"^ the Bolas-The Cannibals of
Child-Human Flesh as Regu:FoodlThlEs7u '^°'''"'^}° "^'P^*' to Eat Her Own
ness-Appearance. Dress afd HabuLTa«ootr Th" K Tk"-"'^ for a Frozen Wilde.
Superstitions. Social Customs. etc-D^poS 5 Diad BoS ' "' '' Management-
762—790
CHAPTER XLL
Trees.
•».f itit
7go — 800
MYSTERIES OF THE DEEP SEA.
CHAPTER I
HO has not longed to gaze upon the ocean, or to ride upon
its mighty bosom, a world unto itself? Yet, to see it, or
plough its sky-tinted waves, fringed by the horizon on
every side, is but the threshold of interest, over which we
may pass into mysterious labyrinths, the abode of marvels which the
landsman has hardly dreamed of. All the wonders of land have their
counterpart in the sea, whether animals, birds or reptiles, monstrosi-
ties, or sun-hued beauties, gigantic forests, or gardens of floral love-
liness. There, too, are mighty cities, peopled by myriads of active
and ingenious creatures, living in houses resplendent with richest col-
ors, and more bewitching than was Solomon's Temple, or the floating
gardens of Ancient Babylon. Wild and uncouth forms, dreadful as
the Cyclopean Polyphemus, ravage the sea-world, while about the
Madripore caverns, unmindfulof croaking monsters, flit, with lambent
wings, gay-plumag J humming-birds, whose iris-decked scales are
more gorgeous than was ever painted feather.
It is the purpose of this book to describe the ocean-world, its
phenomena and inhabitants, that those who have never had the oppor-
tunity of crossing the sea, as well, also, those whose opportunities
have been wasted by want of observation or time for study, may
know how truly wonderful, if not mysterious, are the creatures that
move in that buoyant sphere-^ where man is hardly permitted to
enter — in a world distinctively their own.
BEGINNING OF THE WORLD.
We are told that the world is composed of one-fourth land and
three-fourths water, but to-be scientifically exact wc must say the
world is about nineteen-twentieths water, for there are many times
more water-than solids in all animal Jife, while the earth is filled with
uuremitUng streams of the life-giving liquid. Superficially, howevei ,
16
SEA AND LAND.
the,.. es»c„t,„l u,c, for the support of a ,„l life „,,U Z ' h
as .media,,, for i„.e,.,„.,io„..l e e„,i„„. H, telfc^Ml, 1""
eept,o„ ,s, must appe,,,- „|,c„ „„ .-eflert tl,.,t Go,P, I V , '"
the mm of life, a„d tl,at He is a, ,e A'df .1 f .mI m .''•' "'"''° "''
. the iutelieetua. giaut, of ,,.a,,ki,,;,>- T '' , , u, ^ " '''"h '" "'
compared with that o„ the laud i, „,uel ;,:„":, :'" ""'^«'
wh,eh we flud i„ the p,.„po,,iou of laud au5 w. te • , ||e tpnl'd
teems w,.h .vanns of life, the oeea,, ha. its .u.ria'ds i,: l;:':?;:^
VITALIZING EFFECTS OF RAIN.
bc.ence teaches us that pri.naiilv our nh.net wis „ mnlf
some say it was a fragment throw/off hy;rt iful. f . ""'' '
sun. while other, attempt to dcscri.,e its 'J^^X'^ ^ T
scientists to their theories nines nud h. ,• ^ ° ''''"e»ve tiie
follo. „|,e,.e the, lead, ^id'!, fi*^, ^'j^r r:!.:,:,","?^ '"
f a basiu of water is left lou, exposed to tle„r"S ,,';•'•;
disappears, a„d we k„ow that the disappearance is due o ev of
the su„ is continually lifti,,,, „,, Jj' . "" " "* ""^ '"evapc-at.o,, ,
h.to clouds, and afterViuVS.a .Uhea'viTv , T'^T "'""'""<'■' "
is precipitated again in the°fo™''„f,.,in\ """«'" "'"' ""'»'-o it
and dischargiug'agaiu, s„hse,:r„™";;f th?:!:;";::^:! r
of creation, because it acts the double Bart of »,„.|f ■ . '"'"
It purifies bvca„,in,the oeea,, tl ^ i:2 ':;;rio':V "'"'"f
discharge of rain is va,.iable so th. ocean level i va Me ' at' T- '"'
ever seeking to maintain a level it is ahv ,v. It . . '"
the,.efo,.e never stagnate. The vitalih^^^^Xcrof "'•"•' T
nourishment it supplies to vegetation I ikf Ti! ! " " '" "■«
vegetable f"-,s continually th,^ off a sect io,hroT:', '''"''' ""
and this effete matter needs .emoval ; «,? h " i d" f . ,"■ '""•"•
same ti,ne ,t furnishes food for the ro and ledf ,' ."' "'^
for the b,-anches. In lifti„„ ,v„ter fror'tl» f !f """Mshraent
do not decompose the salt, b^t I ,ve Ts it s toIT f"'" '"""^
and thus only fesl, water is .-aised Id p ec,; t ed ''ih f'T^"''
gi-eat service to sailiu.r vessels for ^o^!.- ' '""' '^ "'
that the suppiv of fre-h w! ,. t.l I 7 Tf ™''°S<^' '"■'' ^» '""?
which eveniVc„,,vass is spr.dtie::ti,r::::r'''""'"^''"
rain falling thereon runs off into ban-els and is thus colirr" " *'"
MYSTERIES OP THE DEEP «EA. 17
Evidence,., Which cannot be misinterpreted. 8ho«r us that at one time
Ihe world was covered with water, and there is every reason also to
keheve that prev.oas to the era of universal ocean, the world was
nvoloped w,th fire It is asserted that when the earth was in a
oohng state, only fa.rly solidified, the first precipitation of aqueous-
apors, com.ng ,n contact wjth certain metals, they were decom
kosed.and he result was the earth became enveloped in flames, which
hged fiercely unt,! the metals themselves were decon.posed
Sa- Humphrey Davy suggested a very beautiful and easy experiment
Ihowmg the probability of such a catastrophe having occurred.
EVOLUTION OF WATER OUT OF FLAMES
But the sea of flame gradually retired as vapors continued condens.
lag. until a length tho ocean of water took its place and creaZ,
levebpod the majesty of life. Though deep waters covered he
Uh, the sea of flame did not die out in the cavernous depths where
Kto held his reign and the fierce flre-belching volcanoes contrued
lo disturb the ■' landscape of the sea." ,Man<riiT says • ""'"""^
"Imagination not unwillingly pictures to itself the strange and
upeib spectacle of a limitless ocean seething over its volcanic bed
nd heaving ,n every direction its cmtending billow, kindled hZ'
u there by the blood-red lustre of a glowing:ky,st™ggh. through
dense and stifling mist, while in its waves rnvriaSJ of^nvisible
beings, embrycs of future organisms, fighting for-life, and ri i J to
he surface u, quest of inspiring light, wait expectant, amidst°the
hroes of the terrible stir and tumult all around them, the din o a
>rue day upon a completed world."
' During the period of universal fire we may safely assert, thnt ,!,„
.as no life, but as the earth became cove/ed wi 'hwat^r a, imate"
eatures came mto existence, so that the ocean was really ZZ^t
>f life ; but here we have a singular proof of the theory of evoint on
or we find „„ture advancing from the simple to the'^omlx a J
I at he lower species of plants and animals preceded t^e cTe'atl™
W the higher. In truth, a series of concurrent facts and testll! •
Cion s ha:ditork " """""""^ "^"''=" '"' ""> ^P^^-' <>'
We may verv nronerly assnm'^ fK"f -j-^ i ^ .
^ I .jfci-j^ ii.i.-iujii^j tnat, anions- the fii-sf anA ^c ^
auinan interests are concerned, the most iniporta t creatu 1 thll
^xisted,^ were the 3f„<..j..*^coral zLphytes. wh^h have
QUEBEC
18
BEA AND LAND.
ever been ,o mdustrioua I„ their work, that some of our larires,
«^....- «.rain„e.. „,,„U „„„.„„,„ ^^ . „„,,„.„ ^^^^
PHENOMENA OF THE SEA -THE TIDES.
Beforo proceeding to u de.enption of the aninuil life of iko ho«
^u :r if ^;;^::r;7^ "' ^'^ r^^ i.nportantphe„on.e:::s
amn.gui.h it Fii.t of these are the tides— omittiii<r the currenf« 1
v^H,..eto the sea what the emulation of h.ood is ^o Z:;:^;:::; f
»I3'«
^oO^-
^
JBigh
Walen
_, . , IIXUSTRATING THE SOLAR-LUNAR TIDES.
pe^on that theplanets are held h. their several 0^17.1: ^'11
attraction a„d gravitation, it „,u.t follow that there iVa .'cZj
influence, and a are inter-deuendont tk. « • ' » '"'^'P'ocal
sun he-ause th» l„((.,. t "^l^nle'"- The moon is governed by the
!i "• , ' " '"'■ <"'"'«"' "' gravitation, while the moon i.i
s mdarly governed hy the earth. As the earth, herefore r"Te '
It IS subjected to the attractive force of the sun and "'"'*• "™'™f',
he erust preserves at all times its exact configVri.Tr.'.rd
cohesion of its molecules, the liquid, readily "responcn. to aU in
f;::i7;" ™';V' O^l— d. - it were'by ?he sollr o r un ll
"auia": JeH ",',,'"''"'"'•'' '"«"''"™<" <•.!» »ttracti„„ the ocll
waters a, periodically upraised, and assume the shape of a liquid
ne of «ur lurgesf
Von Buch aaserts
8 of huge bunks of !
i-tain distance the
111 life of tlio sea,
phenomena which
;ting the currents, ^
is to tlie animal!
^
sun and moon,;
known by every j
by the forces of!
I is a reciprocal]
governed by the!
lile the moon iel
•efore, revolves,!
jiuOij , ijiii whilej
" ' - < . to the
idmg to all in-
solar or lunar'
etion the ocean)
ape of a liquid j
MY8TEKIE8 OF THE DEEP SEA. ]0
fountain, which follows the apparent motion of the sun, and conse-
.KM.tly moves in an opposite direction to that of our pJiM-t But us
Llai.gin says: -These first oscill. tions of the oc( u, hich ar^
>/rtr tides, are not to bo compared ^v,th the lunar tides, and in fact
nly become percept ble when combined with them ; for, thou-h the
ttructive force of the sun is iiu.unparably greater than that of the
hoc.n, yet, owing to the more remoi " distance of the former, the dif-
iionce of effect on our globe is very murh less." Thu8, then the
.«on the earth's handmaid, plays the pri. -ipal part in the p.o'duc-
lon of tides. As between bodies attraction is always reciprocal ; as
le stronger- that whose density is greater -ulwWs controls the
a.aker, the moon is compelled to obey the earth and giavitate round
ler; bnt the sous, boundless as they appear to us, represent only a
h.nnuum fraction of the terrestrial mass, and our satellite is stron<.
luough aud sufficiently near us to draw in her train a portion of the
bters of our ocean round the planet from which it cannot separate
lem. The ticies usually happen twice m twenty-four hours, because
.e rotation oi the globe brings the same point of the ocean .wice
[nderthe meridian of the moon.
The winds exercise a very remarkable influence upon the tide, .ven
. Its partial suppression. Such is particularly the case in the G .If
f Veracruz, where, instead of two tides daily, there is often but
ne m three or four days, when the wind blows violently in a direu-
Son contrary to the wave. If the force of an adverse wind can stay
he approaching tides, we can conceive how greatly it will increase
.e.r rush ,n a formidable degree when it blows in the same direction,
he sea then falls with fury upon the shores, often carrying fri<^htful
lestruction. ^ & o i-aui
DREADFUL DEVASTATION BY THE TIDES
The low coasts of Denmark and Holland are frequently exposed to
le fury of devastating tides, and some of the most appalling disas-
3rs which history records have been caused by tides pushed onward
y h.gh winds. A few of these may here be given as illustrating the
Iireful cnsequences as explained.
In the fall of 1634, a tempestuous tide broke upon the Isle of
read~o"f cattle! '^'""' '''' ''^^"'^"*^ I^^"P^« «»d fifty thousand
In the year 1280, a similu. disaster occurred at Winchelsea, on the
20
SEA AND LAND.
coast of Sussex, where three hundred houses and more than a thou-
sand people wer° overwhelmed.
In 1446, the coast of HoUand was overtaken by a tide that destroyed
sevciity-two villages and one hundred thousand persons.
In 1483, a rushing tide overflowed the banks of the Severn Eiver
for a period of ten days, and so devastated the country that the
highest hills were covered, and thousands of persons lost their lives.
In 1530, more than four hundred thousand people were drowned by
the breaking of the dikes on the Holland coast.
In 1617, Catalonia was overwhelmed by a tide that destroyed fifty
thousand human beings.
In 1717, a tidal inundation devastated a portion of New Zealand,
causing the loss of thirteen hundred people.
Dublin suffered from a similar disaster in 1787, by the sudden
rising of the Liffey, but the number of lives lost has not been esti-
mated.
In 1829, the Vistula was suddenly overflowed, destroying four
thousand houses, ten thousand head of cattle, and so many men,
women and children, that when the waters subsided the territory
api^eared to be covered with corpses.
In 1780, a dijeadful devastation of Barbadoes Island occurred, in
which an immense amount of property was destroyed, and thousands
of persons lost their lives ; but stranger.still was the fact that after a
subsidv^nce of the storm there were several old guns found on the
shore, which had been washed up from the bottom of the sea by the
tempest's fury.
Figuier says, if the waves in their reflux meet with obstacles, whirl-
winds and whirlpools are the result. Such are the whirlpools in the
Straits of Messina, between the rocks of Scylla and (Jharybdis.
Another celebrated whirlpool h that of Euripus, near the island of
Euboea, and another of yet greater importance exists in the Gulf of
Bothnia. But- the most dangerous of all is the mrelstrom off the
coast of Norway, which, at certain intervals, is so powerful as to
draw into its vortex and destroy vessels of no inconsiderable size.
Tides and whirlpools sometimes combine, and in their effects pro-
duce hurricanes, so dreadful to navigators. The Indian Ocean is
chiefly the scene of these devastating winds, which are almost i)ower-
ful enough to blow vessels out of the water, striking their keels with
such a force as to throw them about in the most helpless manner.
21
>yed
iver
the
veti.
in
a
irl.
us.
of
ol
to
fO-
is
ss
SEA AND LAND.
STORMS AND WATER -SPOUTS.
Storms are phenomena with /which we are all familiar. The low-
ering or green-crested clouds, followed by the inky pall of rolling
cumulus, through which vivid flashes from heaven's artillery split
their way and roar with deafening resonance ; then comes the wind,
a fitful gust at first, playing with light atoms, which are lifted in a
whirl, then dropped again ; soon the trees begin to nod and we hear
a sullen rattle which now rapidly increases until the storm bursts full
upon us, perhaps a cyclone clearing its way through forest or town,
like a fell monster with Titanic arm, wielding the axe of devastation,
uprooting and tearing down with a rage that subsides only when
desolation is complete.
For the storm we all feel awe, foreseeing or prophesying calamity
as its legitimate spoil, but the storm on land is but a lamb compared
with the storm-lion on the sea. Once only in my life have I been a
witness to the fury which the elements of sea and air sometimes
exhibit to the luckless mariner. It was during my second voyage
across the Atlantic, fortunately on a staunch steamer built to with-
stand the fiercest onslaughts of wind and wave ; but never can I
forget the terror of my experience. It was in the evening, at the
close of a lovely day, when the saloon became an inviting place for
social pastimes. A game was in progress and none had a thought of
impending danger, until the captain appeared and said : "A storm is
brewing ; better get below."
Hardly had the words been uttered when a crash, loud as a colura-
biad at our very side, thundered at the saloon door and blanched
every face inside. So surprised were all, that none at first could tell
what caused the report, though the tremor which went through the
ship told that something had struck her. It was a wave, that, with
the force of a falling mountain, had* plunged against the vessel'i
broadside and broke over the decks and saloon as well. It was
only a storm, but I was spell-bound with interest; we quickly went
below, and the hatches being put down we were entombed in the ship,
though there were not Avanting sky-lights and port-holes throng!.
which we could witness the furious display which now followed.
Though the nijjht had now come on and darkness brooded over the
«♦
lashing waves and a laboring vessel were distinctly visible. How
dreadfully calamitous looked the boiling clouds that hung down like
24
SEA AND LAND.
the hand of Satan, pronged and hooked, grasping for the live freight
of the assaulted ship ! The masts were bare of canvass, and yet, they
curved and tossed under the wind-pressure whilo the ropes rattled
like hail on a window pane. The waves rolled up in beetling craigs,
then went down again into gorges as cavernous as ocean caves, while
one after another they covered our good ship with their shrouds of
spray. Onward we sped, the unceasing throbbing of the screw barely
audible above the storm's ravings, but it kept the vessel's head on,
though billowy waves would rise before her, and so powerful that the
impact would be like striking a rock. N(»bly would she dive through
the liquid barrier, then vault up again and toss the water like a
monster creatu'-e shaking the brine from its mane, and bidding
defiance to Neptune's anger. Surrounding her with vengeance and
fell purpose, the on-rushing billows would strike the vessel's side with
such a force as to heel her over until her very keel would be visible,
and only a miracle, it would appear, could prevent her from capsizing.
Thus wave-swept and buffeted like a cork, the ship steamed on, but
groaning at every rivet in her iron sides and plunging like a mortally
wounded bull blinded by his own blood. On the decks a scene of
wild commotion had been enacted, which, had I seen, would have
increased my solicitude, for nearly all the life-boats had been either
stove-in or broken away, while the saloon was fairly smashed into
kindling-wood by the irresistible waves. The thought was constantly
occurring, what if pur ship should spring a leak ; if the rivets should
be drawn, as seemed always threatening; or, if she should capsize,
take fire, or even her engines become disabled? In the wake of these
thoughts arose the spectre of three hundred frantic passengers crying
for help when there could be no help save that of God alone, for in
the dark pall of that tumultuous night, out on that wide, tempestuous
sea, there was naught but a melancholy wjiste of woe and elemental
vengeance ; nothing but the dashing, wild surges growling with
maniacal anger; no beacon, harbor, aid; none, save God's omni-
presence. The petrels, gulls and other tireless wings were on the
shore or flown to some spot where the raging winds were not. I
thought, should calamity befall, what if the life-boats are launched, or
what friend would a light spar be ; for the curling waves would fill the
best life-boat before it cnuld receive a load, nv-d lashed on a wave=
washed spar would be like embracing death. I thought again, if this
thin barrier which separates us from eternity should be ruptured, how
MYSTERIR8 OF THE DEEP SEA. ^5
..gainst the,,. wH,.' JhI I .^^''^'^ri: vZrr """ """^"'"'"
embarking, „„d the. „s the numCZTltZlr"'"'''^ ''""'
foundered vessel, her „a„,e w„„,d he adde7t„l Vi o7',::r'""
disappearances at sea nnH fl,.,o - ^ 'nystenous
ocean's grin.y catacombs Th» T"" T"""' '""' ''"•"'' «»d m
-^-.^nn,.r^^:---;~-;^^o.
. THK TERRIBLE WATER-SK)UT.
Jng that we would weaf or fho ^..- •
spontaneous cmauationTof h ' ni'd t'hfn t ' ^T- '"'^ "^'« «■«
«f a contemplated disaster, d c„ ,"'""*; " '"'" ""> P'-««'"'««
circumstances. «>mmon to all persons under like
But more dan^erorthaTtrrrmTrrar
spout at sea, though
26
SEA AND LAND.
SO small i8 the space which it affects, that it is seldom vessels fall
within its power. Our modem definition of water-spout is a dense
cloud, highly charged with electricity, moving irregularly and w,th
amazing n^pidity,;ith inclination to dip. This cloud, owmg to an
apparent tendency to fall while gyrating with extraordniary velocity,
inwardly assumes the shape of a reversed cone, or funnel Itscolor,
as described by Maury, i. a deep gray, its aspect fr.ghtful beyond ex-
pression, and no less so are the elemental displays which precede t.
The sky becomes dreadfully lowering, an unnatural darkness prevails,
caused by a sickly, yellowish sunlight, and the atmosphere is often
impregnated with sulphurous fumes. A hurricane or, more properly,
cyclone, sweeps over the breaking waves with ominous screechinge,
and a dull, monotous roar. It seems as if a volcano were poui-mg
forth from the deep bowels of the earth, while the lightning darts m
^'' blinding flashes, and terriffic crashes of thunder swiftly follow each
other; then the water-spout falls nearer and nearer the water, which
becomes violently agitated underneath, until, rising into a cone, the
lowering, twisting cloud reaches the swirling cone of water, and the
two are united in a roar so terrible as to be fairly deafening. The
cyclone on land is the water-spout at sea, and woe to the luckless ves-
sel that chances to be within its influence, for it would almost cer-
tainly dismantle and swallow her up, however strong she might be.
CHAPTER n.
CURIOSITIES OF THE OCEAN.
^^EFORE proceeding to describe the wonderful life that crowds
mm the sea, let us explain one of the most remarkable facts in
i!^ nature, viz. : Why is the o jean salt? This question has inters
^ ested civilization for ages, and for an equal length of time
scientists have had to make answer by quoting some idle fable. It was
formerly believed that the saline properties of the sea were due to
the fact that during the early period of maritime industry, ships were
charged to throw into it large pyramids of salt; what for, no one
pretended to know. The strictly scientific maintained tbut suit was
engendered spontaneously at the bottom of the sea. The scientists
were never satisfied that this was the case, but for want of a better
MrSIERlES op IHE DEEP 8EA. gl
explanation, they encouniged the belief of immense salt-beds in th.
ocean, and looked wise, as usual. a-i-oeas m tn«
L. Figoiel-, borrowing somewhat from the theories of Maurv has
g,ven us, a length, the true cause of the ocean's salt, and so pe f^ctlv
cons,stent ,s h,s .hc„,y with well-tstal.Iished natural aws, thalit is I
beheve, now un.versally accepted. From his explanation'l iLZl
" In the first stage of our planet, before the wateiT vapors con •
ta.ned n, the pr.m.tive atmosphere were condensed, and beZe tlv
had begun to fall on the earth in the form of boiling „,i„heS
of the earth contained an infinite variety of heterogeneous mi, er'
substances, some soluble in water, others not. Whe,t rain fell Jtt
bunnng surface for the first time, the waters became c rled wkh all
he soluble substances, which were reunited, and afterward, Toos
■ted, accumulating in the large depressions of the soil. ThTsearot"
the pr„n,t,ve globe were thus formed of rain-water, hold," i , solu
t,on ai that the earth had given up, collected in la^e bas^ Ch ^
r,de of sodam, sulphates of soda, magneSia, potLiur hne and
sihcjum, 111 the form of soluble silioMfp . in 1 , j
n-atter that the primitive globe l,tI:edio™ed Z^^'J^'Tl
contingent of this water. If we reflect that throrjr.l ^L"
he present day none of the gencal laws of natu"^ have^h ,Xd
f we co,,s,der that the soluble substances contained in the w Sr o^
the pr,m,t,ve seas have .emained the,e, and that the fresh w'^er, ^f
tne nvers cmstantly replace the water which disappears by eva,„rl
t,o,,, we have the true explanation of the saltness of sea wL, ''
In the sal,ne properties of sea water, Mau.y discovws one ^f tb.
pnncpal orces from which cu.Tents in the La,, moceed . tL
bnne of the ocean is the ley of the earth," he says " ftm it ^he
sea der,ves dynamical powe,s, and its currents thei^- main TJ^h
Why ,s the sea made salt? It i, ,he salts of the sea tha imZf to
^s waters those cunous anomalies in the law of freezing and of Ther '
ma d,l,tal,„n (expansion by heat). It is the salts o? the sea tha;
.s,st the rays of the sun to penet,-ate its bosom. The e re a«o,
of the ocean .s ,ndispensable to the disfibution of tcmpcture ^!
the maintenance of the meteorological and cli,„„ti. Z7t" °~"
rale the development of life, and'this circulatToV'cou d n;';":^!!
at least, the cha,acter of its waters would be completely chan'edl
,f they were ficsh, in place of salt." ' cnan^ea—
n
SEA AND LAND.
THE WORLD DOWN UNDER THE SEA. ^^
Julea Verne, in his - Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the bea.
has -Iven us a beautiful, though imaginative, description of the ct.es
^^ and marvels which exist under the waves, yet his industrious fancy
has hardly succeeded in reaching evdn the boundary of existing facts.
So deep are the oceans -sometimes exceeding three miles -that we
can never explore, save with plummets, the recesses which are so well
guarded by the extraordinary pressure which there prevails. While
beyond our immediate observation, we know that even these dark-
darklin- caves are the abodes of life, teeming, in fact, with an eye-
less infusoria whose skeletons have been heaped into mountains, and
helped to make the continents. In the ocean is displayed a marvel-
ous mechanism and distributed force, which prevents our planet from
becoming a lifeless, frigid body. The ocean life might continue even
were there no islands or continents, for land is hardly essential to
marine animals. Yet naught on land could survive the drying up of
the ocean. The womb of life is in the sea, and therefore it is the
ocean and not the earth that is our mother. So infinitely great is the
life in the sea, that if we take a portion of ocean water and enclose it
in a bottle it almost immediately becomes noisome and corrupt. It
can neither be transported nor preserved, and this is due to the fact
that its every drop is alive with invisible animalculee, which die the
moment they are separated from the great body that nourishes them.
The variable color of the ocean often, though not always, is caused
by the minute animals which swarm upon its surface. The Black Sea
derives its name from the frequent storm^ which convulse it. Around
the Maldine Islands the ocean is really black ; in the Persian Gulf a
beautiful pure green ; in the Gulf of Guinea white, and in the Polar
Sea an olive green. The Vermillion Sea is so called on account of its
color, produced by microscopic animalculse ; the Red Sea, however,
is colored, at certain periods, by a species of frog-spittle, a kind of
water-plant that has its roots barely below^he water surface. But
the most remarkable effect produced by the infusoria is seen in the
luminosity which their infinitely numerous bodies impart to large
areas of the sea. Of this phenomenon, Mangin writes :
OLEAMINQ LIGHTS OF THE SEA.
*'That those infusoria should tint the sea is, undoubtedly, a
marvelous phenomenon; but they do more— they brighten and en-
kindle it. The phosphorescence of ocean was long a mystery, before
MYSTEEIES OF THE BEIr SEA. ga
Which man's reason stood oonfonnded, and which inspired him wi.h
mmgled feehngs „f admiration and tenor. Lnminou7waterT Tht
sea on fire, yet harmless, and still presei-vin" its cold 07^!^ .
peratnre. How extraordinary a mi.Le - Hn» !, '""■
• • • I"'."rtemperateci[n:re,rdinfhaTe:i';"^^^
between the English and French co sts, we sel Soce ' tr t'
esccnt only in summer, and in seasons of great trrqn|i'tv''Tl
with the scenes prese ted by tbe Itata^ 'l"""^ "."' '" "'""P"^'"'
and teen,ing with life. There ^1^1'^"' """' '"" '"^ ""='"«•
and bad weather. In the f„ mer caL thT""" """" ''"'' " '""
nings, like a storm-cloud!' 'Zl Zl^erZZTTJjT T'
teJotusT'sf 'Tr'' ",""'""' Phe'-men-,.,, during the severe wiu-
te. of 1881- 82, whde makmg a trip by sea from Portland to Boston.
Tl,„ 1 • -i "."" '"*"^' ™' •" LUMINOUS?
The luminosity of the sea has been attrih„.«V ,
but it was not until 1854 that th„ !!! """''""'' '" ™n»"8 causes,
tied beyond dispute for al ti 'CT'° ™' <'i''»™'«<i. «»d set-
man, o'f the ALricf:^;;^ :^*;X1^l"toa^'"C'■'^'•'""-
facts of this interesting disLery are s''et1::;h?as f' C^"'^' '"^
were in a very n.,u;,td"\ZrL'T:blttcrntnor„h fx
saw I dropped the sounding lead without flndirbo ,„m at , .
fathoms. I then resumed my course Th. .. '"=■ """"i" "t sixty
was 7r 14. F., as at 8 .. «. ^;^-«:;<, "v^tV hTrrat'tr^
about SIX gallons, and discovered that it was full „f " J"?' I'o'd'ng
bodies which, when the water was dls tiC^ pltu^eTthe'""'"'""^
and tbey preser^d ,heir%,end^: „Z't;;t ^fr^^^^
"ut.i we placed them nearer they became inv;«;Ku "V « '«"«P ;
fying glass, their appearance was'that oJa Jo ., / ^if " " "•"'^"'•-
stance. One of the specimens was about an i.;:ri^':rarf";r:
30
8BA AND LAND.
its thickness was that of a course hair, with a kind of head at each
extremity. The surface of the sea thus covered was about twcnty-
three miles from north to
THE LUMINOUS SEA.
south ; I do not know its extent from east
to west. In the middle stretched an irregular band, of a deep color,
and about half a mile in breadth. * * •
MYSTERIES OF THE DEEP SEA jj
- While the «hlp made nine knots an hour, it Hided throu
water without rnakinjr unv noisfi n„«„ » "' B'»«eu tniou e
with snow; und so g^ca "L ^1^,,,,^^^^ seemed a plain covered
I 1 ./ ., o'^""^ >vas lis pnosphorescent br <»■ htiips^i fhnf ♦!.„
But Z \ ""'"'• """"'^ ^"•'"''O ^"- <" "'« 'J'- m . ?d e ••
Jiut phosphorescence in the son i-« ««+ „i ^ ""'eHituae.
for it is an equally well ttlterf??^'''^! ^"' '" animalcule.
PRE
CHAPTER III.
HISTORIC MONSTERS OF THE DEEP.
are, once were continent^ nn,i «ri,«. ■^- ""neie islands now
vast «.orM of ,„d„stTo ' ' nH "^ ? "',°"'' ^t""''. "habited by.
deep and sullen r^ar Not ITh ''"'!5''''' """ **■« ^''' «"-P' i"
cur in the „c.„°Id bft the L°h ™"''°'''"' ''''^^"''' '•""■««« »<=-
equally remarkable and imth/ ^T'" " """■'""' "^ """'«'»»
anced MhT \ ,1 accuracy with which everythincr is bal
per e„, ,,,, ,t, „j,„„^^ l."rn,o„yl|,nrtrro:^ho t t ^ " " "
the'V;:e:rr ir" -"^ """"'"«' -^ «-:•:;::■«• a that
.nai„ti!::„:nn th ™ dTTbTtrr''' "^ """''™"""' ^"' '^^
ceded the higher The 1 ' i "^ "'''"'' °' *""»"»" l"*-
cmstsureto heLl„!Ss,sth r'M t"'" "' '•°*' """ ^^^h-
r..d, , S^'og'sts the chronicles of cosnioi^onv, in which he
earth or wate„ before .ntf^wtt r::;'o"rati::'^ """" ""•
If-
32
SEA AND LAND.
hfi
BEOINNINQ OP LIFE.
The first life, which teemed in the sea before any land had appeared,
was the zoophytes, creatures which partake of both the vegetable and
<
3
M
9S
O
animal
have exam
fe, and are therefore called pluiit-animals. Of these we still
pies ill the sea-stars, sea-
hedgehogs, veiius-girdle, jelly-fish,
MTSTEBIEa or THE BEEP SEA. 33
etc. Some of these_f„r there are raony dWerent orders „f zoo.
phytes- hnd the „ppear„„ce of beautiful flowers, and covered the bed
of the „oe,.n w,lh fore,ts anl gardens „• ni-turesque as eye ov„
beheld They possessed solid bodies, ge,:«-ally, which bore soo.
resemblance to the skeletons of superior animals
Next to tho zoophytes, and of a higher order of creation.are the mol.
IU.SCS, which are protected by hard shells. Of this order, the ammonites
now ex,»t only m a fossil sl.te, but the nautili still su,-vive 1""^!
%Z thit it" u '""""'"' -"-P-ehends such an immense variety
(200) that .t would weary the patience of any ordinary reader t^
desenbe them hero, so we will proceed merely to mention the varLu^
orders as they came into being. »»riou»
Fi«h of two species, one of which resembled oar modern perch, the
other hav„,g irregular teeth and exceedingly small fins. foHowed he
molluscs Remains of these are found in the Silurian • sta^e The
shark and lias were nearly contemporaneous with the first fishes, beln^
f,»n,d,n carboniferous formations, which innnediately followed hf
Devonian or age of fishes. "^ »^«iuwoa me
SAURIAN MONSTERS.
We now come to the saurian (fish-lizard) order of creation, which
made Its appearance at the same time as the crustacean (she iTfisM
and the huge scorpion. It was now that the great paleosaums, ichthy
osaurus, and many species of the nothosauri haunted the mar Ly and
oed-fnnged shores of the desolate world, limiting the seas' pinla-
t,on by heir voracious appetites. Cuvier, the reLwned natural" t
whose studies m comparative anatomy created and raised that branch
Cirit ''de?""r'''T',''"'"""' '"^ ="'^™ - « complete a,5
*«l accuiate description of these onco mighty monsters «,. font...-
an yet so terrible in aspect as to make it ap^rl^ mpoS
that c|.e„t,on could suffer such things to mar her handiwork
Hil,", 1"*, '1"^"' """'" '" "'^ """■"■'Ions combination of croco-
dile teeth, the head and breast of a lizard, snout of a dolphin the ve^
Zl T' , , plesiosaurus, we have a yet more horrid erea-
»re for to an equally grisly body there is the long neck of a^erDeT
U minatnig in the head of a lizard. The fossil re^mains of ^hZZ I
■»^I3^^ oniybeen found in banks of marly stone, of the secoild
8«
u
SEA AND LAND.
\?i
period, and chiefly in England, where they must have been at one
time quite abundant. Such large quantities of their remains have
D
D
til
S
Q
o
o
z
<
s
been gathered that several entire skeletons have been reconstructed,
and are now to be seen in the British Museum. Professor Owen, one
MYSTEUIES OP THE DEEP SEA. ^5
of the greatest pale(,nt<>I(,n:i.st8 of the century, has ...-ouDed th««p
oral saunajKsnto one f..i,^, ,,.,.,,,, ,,,,/^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
large word, hut ,t is only the Greek for .so.-liy.ncl ^ T!
lizards have,.<.n .>und measuring n.re Z!:^^:^y ^7'::^
with heads six feet lono- -^ "' '^"gth,
Th,. id,t„yo.un.i wo,.„ «,«„„„, designed fo/t tj :':•:'.•', ,1 ■
r^::d^e:::r:t::rs;';^;:;tr.''''-''''-^
.|.«.ie, the j„w8, armed with .,1,„,,, teefl, v 1, ed f ""^. '"•S'-'»'
ulv,c.ve„ feet. The vonu-itv „f . 1 " ""'"' "'
e,„,.„dih., ,ve,.„ ,uiekiv ■■eph.oed ' ' • ^ ' '" " "'" ™»« """ "">
l>led those of ou,- h„,,e ,e>.|,e„t». ' .T ' '' , , f'!'^'*'; '--"'-
«t,ange e,,.at,„.„. whose e..n,o,.di„a,y „ Lfe ' ^ Td " ' '""
^; (»oa-weed,. t'!:^ tti^iC:;; ::rr ir";;'f "■=
.i.o ,.,e™„g ga.e of the iehthvosauH. its „,.lt '^1^m:ZJ:::\
M. I I . , "^"^ MIGHTY MEOALOSAURUS
"f a maHne crocodile .T1 if ® '''"™™'''' ''"^ '•»"""»
(jrreat lizard)/ ™ ;,,,;■*, '" «"™ ""> "■""" ^^''i.ateau,™
k.mw„ to hive exi ed , V '"""' """'"-^'^'''^ "' -'.V that i«
a|.|.eara,„.. ,„ thie "T, ' '' •"""« "'"""' i^eMtieal i„
■<» 'ength-a lizard lar^e .^ a wL le O w"™ r""""" "^^'''^ '""
not exceed thirty feet. ' '"'"«™'-. """ks it did
mi
36
SEA AND LAND.
The celebrated gravel-pits in the St. Pierre mountains, near Maes,
tricht, have furnished us with wonders scarcely less marvelous, such
THE FLYING PTERODACTAL.
as skeletons of monstrous sea-turtles, an infinity of shells, and with a
<renu8 of lizard but little inferior in size to the megalosaurus. This
MYSTERIES OP THE DEEP SEA.
37
gigantic species, which Professor Conyl .ire ca]] s Mosaosaurus, (nion-
itor-hziud), was upwards of twenty-five feet in length. Its monster
jaws were furnished with strong teeth, conical in shape, arched and
raised into a ndge, while several were strongly attached to the pal'ite
like the shark's. In the specimen that was uncovered, the spine
contained one hundred and thirty vertebrse.
Dr. Mantell, another enthusiastic paleontologist, discovered the
re.nanis of an animal which evidently belongs to the same family as
the megalosaurus, but its material differences entitle it to the distinct
name which has been given it, viz : Iguandon. It was an herbiverous
lizard, and its teeth and toes particularly so closely resembled the
iguana, that hence the name. Its stature was about twentv-ei-ht
feet, and it is believed to have been the tallest of all creatures'on the
eastern continent ; its length was nearly thirty feet. A splendid plas
ter specimen of this remarkable reptile may be seen in the Smithso-
nian Institute at Washington City.
A HORRIBLE CREATURE.
We have next to describe the most grotesque and horrifying crea-
ture that inhabited the ancient ocean, a wild phantasm of nature
more terrible in its appearance than a nightmare conception Its
hybridity was so remarkable that it was reptile, bird and bat'all at
once, having thp characteristics and semblance of each. The scien
tific appellation of this mongrel monstrosity is Pterodactylus, which
IS a Greek word that implies wing-toed. This name was given it
because the fifth toe of its anterior limbs was enormously elongated
-nto a ribbed stem, intended to support a membrane which madi the
wing. This wing very much resembled the bat's, except that the
phalanges were much stronger in proportion, as were also the mus-
cles, so that Its flight was very much swifter. The nose was pro-
longed into a beak which was severely armed with teeth ^
Dr. Buckland, in his - Bridgewater Treatise," expres'ses the opin-
ion that the pterodactyl possessed the faculty of swimming, and also
that It fed on fishes, which it caught by dashing down upon them
after the manner of various fish-catching sea-birds. Cuvier judged
It to be nocturnal from the extraordinary size of its eyes, and this
probability is increased by its other bat-like characteristics. Man-in
says : "
"The size and shape of the feet prove that these animals could
stand erect with firmness, their wings folded, and that they thus pos-
S8
SKA AJfD LAViy,
sessed a mode of progression analogous to that of birds; like them,
also, they could perch upon trees, while, at the same time, they had
THE TELEOSAURUS.
the faculty of climbing along rocks and cliffs, assisting themselves
with their feet and hands like our modern bats and lizards."
tsnfmtei ot IBM mtp «iii. j^
" Thu most striking peculiarity of tl,i, animal," eay. Dr. Hoefer
•',, tlie curious assemblage of vigorous wings, joined to a reodl!^;
body; tne ..naginatio,. of poets alone has hitherto framed a^yftin'
resembl,,.. •. Hence the description of those d,-ag„ns whilS
represents o u, as having, in the early ages of th^ world disDUted
w,th man tl,e sovereignty of the earth, and whose des ucttn tas
oneof theglonous attributes of the mythic heroes, gods and delt!
THE INVULNERABLE TELE08AURU8
But there was one other monster which I must not omit to men
t,on, since us .mportanoe among the antediluvian inhab"ant of 1
deep can hardly be over-estimated. I refer to tl.„ ^', *" '"^
perfect lizard, .ejeo being the Greek wol-d t o "mp etef^trt''"Th:
ples,osaurns and .chthyosaurus were destitute of scal^ cov^^^ I„t
the eleosaurus was clothed with an adamantine coat of ma ^ttt
would have been impervious to the heaviest rifle-ball of T-dlv It
was also armed with tremendous teeth, and its massive jaws whi'ch
could open to a distance of six feet m,^. -ii. „ l, ,
the ...irgest ox. This fearful anim'was1hi;r: tT:!"^
supposed to have been the most destructive 'L^L'^of The mth.'; '
Dr. Buckland also mentions another saurian, which he calls the
^.oy„o*» the meaning of which I do not now recall. FossU t
mains of this animal were discovered hv«.AT,. n • • o f,
Africa, and described by Pro^r O^L'' oo^^X'n ^1
se, me antenoi part of the jaw was sheathed with horn.
CHAPTER IV.
THE PRE. HISTORIC .MERICAN OCEAN.
af^cT^Z ITu "^^"'^""^ anywhere above the surface, is
lakes etc w^^^^^ ""^^ ^V'^'^^"^ '' ^"^ ^^'^^ ^^« -^ans. seas,
lakes, etc., which are now known, are not as they were lef
40
SfiA ANt> LAND.
after the evaporation of waters, and the appearance of land which
first prescribed their limits, is equally well proved. Erosions and ac-
cretions, eruptions, climatic changes, storms, earthquakes, the earth's
movements, particularly those whicl^ occur once in 21,000 years,
which will hereafter be explained, and deluges, have evolved and
dried up, or displaced oceans, as will be done again in the earth's
ever active life.
The evidences that there was at one time a great sea, covering the
vast region which now comprises our western plains, are indtibitable
and interesting. Not only do the remains of ocean animals found
scattered over the West prove the existence of a sea, but the agglom-
eration of saurian bones which lie heaped in singular confusion, as
found in Kansas, attest the fact that in the subsidence of waters,
from whatever cause, the last water remaining must have been a
lake or pool, in the region where the fossil remains of the pre-
historic animals are now found; for there they evidently perished.
The ancient ocean-bed to which I refer, is easily traced in the
State of Kansas, and the last struggles of the monsters in the slime
and stagnant waters of that expiring sea were evidently made in a
lake, whose limits are seen in the mauvaise terres, or Bad Lands, of
the State, a region of country that has been recently examined by a
party of scientists. A description of this wonderful territory, the
graveyard of gigantic creatures more formidable than the eye of
modem man ever looked upon, is thrilling in the extreme.
WONDERS OF THti KANSAS PLAINS.
From elevated points the plains appear to be dotted with ruined
villages and towns, with avenues lined with painted walls of fortifi-
cations, churches and towers, while side alleys pass beneath natural
bridges or expand into small pockets and caverns, smoothed by the ac-
tion of the w'nd, carrying hard mineral particles. If the explorer
searches the bottoms of the rain-washes and ravines, he will doubtless
come upon the fragment of a tooth or jaw, and will generally find a line
of such pieces leading to an elevated position on the bank or bluff
where lies the skeleton of some monster of the ancient sea. He may
find the vertebral column running far into the limestone, or a paddle
extending on the slope, as though entreating aid; ©r a pair of jaws
iiiied with Lorriu teeth ; or he may find a conic mound with bleached
bones on the apex. Sometimes a pile of huge remains will be dis-
covered, which the dissolution of the rock has deposited on the lower
MYSTERIES OP THE DEEP SEA.
41
Dieacnoa
level, the force of rain and wash having been insufficient to carry
them away. The descriptions of these wonderful creatures savor of
the exaggerations of Verne, yet are facts. The fabulous monsters
that were believed in in the olden times, the dragons, serpents, etc..
are thrown m the shade by these truly ancient monsters that once
swam m the ocean that finally became land-locked, and the bottom
of which is now raised high above the water level. The shore line of
that old ocean is distinctly marked. Imagine the water between New
York and London a dry plain, its whales and fishes stranded in the
mud, on the sides of the great hills, and on the plateaus that we know
exist, and an idea can be forced of the mauvaise terres. Professor
Marsh says that in ene place he counted from his horse the remains
of five huge monsters spread upon the plain. One of the largest of
these, a reptile called the Liodon, exceeded in size the largest whale
and of Its discovery Lieutenant Whitten, of the army, says- «* A
part of the face, with teeth, was observed projecting from the side of
a bluff, and we at once proceeded to follow up the indication with
knives and picks. Soon the lower jaws were uncovered, with their
glistening teeth, and then the vertebree and ribs. Our delight was at
Its height when the bones of the pelvis and part of the hind limbs
were laid bare, for they had never been seen before in the species
and scarcely in the order. While lying on the bottom of the creta-
ceous sea, the carcass had been dragged hither and thither by the
sharks and other rapacious animals, and the parts of the skeleton
were displaced and gathered into a small area. The massive tail
stretched away into the bluff, and after much laborious excavation,
we left a portion of it to more persevering explorers."
A QIQANTIO TURTLE.
One of the most remarkabie discoveries was a turtle, the maximum
length of which may not have been far from thirty feet, with a cor-
responding width of twenty feet. The discovery of a medium-sized
one IS thus referred to by the finder : - The fragments of the Pro^
Tr Zu^ !t'° ^^ ''°' °^ ^^^ ™"" projecting from a ledge of a low
bluff. Their thinness, and the distance to which they were traced, ex-
cited my curiosity, and I straightway attacked the bank with the pick
After several square feet of rock had been removed. w« o\L..A
up the floor, and found ourselves well repaid. Many long, slen-
der pieces of two inches in width lay upon the ledge. They were
evidently ribs, with the usual heads, but behind each head was a
42
SUA AW) lAHt).
li
plate like the flattened bowl of a huge spoon, placecl cfos«wiSe.
Beneath these stretched two broad plates, two f et in width, and no
thicker than binders' board. The edges were fingered, and the sur-
face hard and smooth. All this was quite new among fully grown
animals, and we at once determined that more ground must be
explored for further light. After picking away the bank and carving
the soft rock, new masses of strange forms were disclosed. Some
bones of a large paddle were recognized, and a leg bone. The
shoulder-blade of a huge tortoise came next, and further examination
showed that we had stumbled on the burial place of the largest
species of sea turtle yet known. The single bones of the paddle were
eight inches long, giving the spread of the expanded flippers as con-
THE PROTOSTFGE, OR C \EAT TURTLE.
siderably over fifteen feet. But the ribs were those of an ordinary
turtle just hatched, and the great plates represented the bony deposit
in the skin, which, commencing independently in modern turtles,
unite with each other at an early day. But it was incredible that the
largest of known turtles should be but just hatched, and for this and
other reasons it has been concluded that this * ancient mariner '
is one of those forms not uncommon in old days, whose incom-
pleteness in some respects points to the truth of the belief that
animals have assumed their modern perfections by growth from more
simple beginnings.'^
ers as con-
manner
MYarmtts OP rttn i>eei. ska. ^
Other specimens were found that had evidently been torn by
sharks, that Avere on a scale equally gigantic, had attained a len.rth of
one hundred and fifty feet, and could easily have taken a'horse
md cart in thr.r nouths. Dr. John Hunter, of the College of
Physicians and Surgeons, London, in describing a specimen of
medmra size, says : '« The length of the base of this tooth, from the
Carcharodon mcgalodon (Agassiz), is four inches eight lines- th-,t
of the longest of its sides, five inches ten lines; with it is "lleed a
tooth of an unusually large specimen of the largest known living
species of Carchara^s, the length of the base of which is one inch
eight ines ana that of Uie longest of its sides two inehes three lines
This tooth IS from a shark twenty feet long. The fossil shark if
bearing the same proportion to the teeth, must have been over siity
feet long. 1 he fossil tooth used in Sir John's comparison, was
from the miocene tertiary formations of Malta, and was a third smaUe
than the larges found in America. Professor Agassiz made sim lar
comparisons with like results. The teeth, although having lain untold
ages under ground, still in many cases retain th'eir beautiful polish
Zl t;lrr"^°^ -' ''- ^^^-^^-^ ^'^^- -« - P-^- a^when'
FLVmO REPTILES OF ASTOON61NO SUi
Though the Bad L»nd. of Kansa, furnish many fossil remains of
marvelous extmct an.mals, other sections of our country are rich wi^h
qua iy wonderful specimens which have been exhumed during the
last few years. «"iiug me
Near Charleston, S. C, in the beds of the Ashley and Cooper rir
ers,p recently found several teeth of a species of land Co "j
wh-cTTTre larger on the grinding surface than the outspread palm o '
a man s hand Let imagination determine the size of the mout" of
th,s creature J In the same region have been discovered the remains
of one „f the largest reptiles of that ancient period, a verUaWe
mnhaaus very smidar m appearance to the pterodactyl, already
descnbed but many times larger. It measured when fould, twenty
mne feet from finger to finger, and when alive and spread in hTat
the g,ga„t,e creature was one of the most terrible flyers of the borde;
of th,s ancient sea. It derived its powers of flight, not by a mem
thumb, like the bat's, nor by a wing without distinct fingers, as on
i \ I'l
44
SEA AND LAND.
AM
birds, but "by a wing feustiiinod principally on a very elongai?d toe,
while the other members possessed their normal shortness, and were
COMBAT iiiriWlSEN THE. j;.iii ■•, ru=At,r.L::
armed with claws. With this remarkable conformation were associ-
ated a long neck and beak. It could fly in the air, remain on the
MYSTERIES OF THE DEEP SEA.
40
wing a long time, and suspend itself to trees and rocks by its short
toes. Another wonder discovered was tho Ilesperornin (night-bird),
a large water bird seven feet in height, and having knifc-Uke teeth!
The teeth were set in grooves, the wings were rudimentary and use-
less, while the legs were like those of a duck. A study of its skeleton
shows it to have been closely related to the ostrich. Another wonder
was a flying bird, the Ichthyornis (fish-bird), having still more rep-
tilian characteristics. Its teeth, like the alligator's, were in distinct
sockets, and, stranger yet, its vertebrae is bi-concave, a peculiarity
only found in the fishes and a few reptiles. One of the most gigan-
tic reptiles discovered was the Amphiccelias (a name given to express
the peculiarity of its having both the fore and hindei^ends concave).
The thigh bone was so heavy that the finders were forced to harness
a mule to it to drag it out of the hole. It measured more than
eleven feet in length. A section of the vertebrre, from the dorsal
portion, was a heavy lift for four men, and when placed on the ground
in the position assumed by the animal, it tow'ered above the tallest of
the party, being more than six feet in height. To appreciate this,
the reader must remember that the corresponding bone of the nearest
living representative of this animal can be lifted by the little finger.
Other fossil saurians, the thigh bones of which are six feet in len«Hhi
have been given a length of more than one hundred and fifty feet!
If they increased in proportion to the size of this bone, we should have
a creature more than two hundred feet in length, but of course this
is merely a supposition, though quite a probable one. A thigh bone
of an allied genus more than six feet in length can be seen in the
Museum of Natural History, Central Park. It is in a case in
Geographical Hall, and side by wide with the same bone of the
nearest allied form. Near by are other creatures, representing the
sf.me age. Some of the whales of this and later times were one
hundred and fifty feet in length, and the State of Alabama was once
their roaming ground.
THE LARGEST ANIMAL CAPABLE OF MOTION ON LANC.
In the Bad Lands of Colorado an animal has been found which is
by far the largest animal supposed to be capable of moving on dry
land. It fed on the forests of the tinio, a faot r.^ov^'' h" f" - -
tounci with It. It was called the Titanosaurus (the giant lizard, evi-
dently a misnomer), a huge animal, seventy feet in length and eighty
m height. That age ab-'inded in flying reptiles and turtles, besides
46
8EA AND LAND.
.'J
the monster saurians already mentioned. Some of the land turtles
were nine feet in length, and proportionately high. One specimen
now extinct would easily hide or cover two men, being about four
feet high. At that period a great revolution was culminating, and a
perceptible change is noticed, that gives indications of i new era.
The body was elevated, instead of being dragged along; the limbs
were lengthened, and in animal life at that period the iguanodon
takes a pron)inent position. The thigh, when full grown, was more
than four and a half feet in length, and the circumference around the
head was four and a half feet. The teeth were obtusely conical, and
laterally compressed, so as to present a cutting edge, which was ser-
rated like the teeth of the Mexican iguana, from which it was named.
As restored by Mr. Hawkins, it has a slight resemblance to an im-
mense tiger. Mr. Hawkins says, to ^ive an idea of the size of that
animal, that the iguanodon, as it now stands in the Crystal Palace, is
composed of four iron columns, nine feet in length by seven inches
in diameter, six hundred bricks, one thousand five hundred and fifty
tiles, thirty-eight casks of cement, ninety casks of broken stone,
with one hundred feet of iron hooping, and twenty feet of cubic inch
bar. The specimen was modeled after the great Horsham specimen,
and to show more clearly the size, the mold was afterward converted
into a " «o7/fi a manger,'^ in which Professors Forbes, Owen and
twenty other gentlemen sat down to dinner.
The great cretaceous ocean of the West, that is now only known
to us by its arid deserts and chalky plains, was no less remarkable
for its fishes than its reptiles, and swarmed with large forms related
to the salmon and saury. Vertebra; and other fragments of those
species project from the worn limestone in many places, and one of
them uttvacts attention by its formidable appearance. The density
and hardness of the bones had shed the rain off on either side, so
that the radiating gutters and ravines finally isolated the stony iron-
ster. The head was some inches longer than that of a fully-grown
grizzly bear, and the jaws were deeper in proportion to their length.
The muzzle was shorter and deeper than that of a bulldog. The
teeth were all sharp, cylindric fangs, smooth and glistening, and of
irresrular size. At certain nointa in oach iaw. t.hev nrnifint.ed thrRA
inches above the gum, and were sunk one inch into deep pits, being thus
as long as the fangs of a tiger, but more slender. Two pairs of such
fangs crossed each other on each side of the end of the snout. That
H
fa
C
a
o
r
w
y
id turtles
specimen
)out four
ig, and a
new era.
ihe limbs
^uanodon
vas more
•ound the
lical, and
was 8cr-
8 named,
o an im-
0 of that
Palace, is
en inches
and fifty
;n stone,
ubic inch
pecimen,
ionvcrted
wen and
y known
markable
s related
of those
d one of
0 density
• side, so
)ny n^on-
ly-grown
r length.
)g. The
^, and of
ed three
sing thus
3 of such
It. That
MYSTERIES OF THE DEEP SEA. 47
fish is known us Portheus Molossus (Cope). Besides the smaller
fishes, the reptiles no doubt, supplied the demands of their appet e
The ocean n. wh.ch ilourished this abundant .nd vigorous life wa 1;
'MS
1 — ^~^^""~~~*^"<^as>ai
ast completely enclosed on the west by elevations of sea bottom so
X:^::rrtrta^r"'r"''/-'''°^'^^^^^^^^
na rne Arctic bea. The continued elevation of both
! ;« I
48
8EA AND LAND.
eastern and western shores, contracted its area, and when ridges of
the sea bottom reached the surface, forming long, low bars, parts of
the water area were enclosed, and connection with salt water pre-
vented. Thus were the living beings imprisoned, and subjected to
many new risks. The stronger could more readily capture the
weaker, while the fishes would gradually perish through the constant
freshening of the water. With the death of any considerable class,
the balance of food supply would be lost, and many larger species
would disappear from the scene. The most enduring would longest
resist the approach of starvation, but would finally yield to inexora-
ble fate; the last one being caught by the shifting bottom among
the shallow pools, from which his exhausted energies could not extri-
cate him.
i.'S '.
CHAPTER V.
APPEARANCE OF LAND ANIMALS.
jE now approach the epoch of great change, when the waters
began to subside, and continents were upheaved from the
desolate waste of waters, calling into being new forms of
life, and radically changing, by metamorphosing or de-
stroying, the creatures of the primitive sea. These changes were the
product of violent eruptions, coral-builders, great cataclysms, modi-
fications of ocean temperature, and the voracity of certain species,
which brought about an annihilation of themselves. Monster sauri-
ans, finding their nourishment curtailed, fell upon their own species
and thus made way for other and superior animals like the mammalia
of the sea, such as whales, sea-cows, dolphins, etc.
The cetacea, or mammlferous sea animals, evidently existed before
the present age, but how long before is not known. They are placed
in the period immediately preceding the quaternary epoch, which
bordered on our present age, but so few and imperfect fossils have
been found that we know little of them. It is well ascertained, how-
ever, that whales which existed in the ancient seas were very different
from our present species, in that they were more active, while the
structure of their jaws and strength of teeth prove that they sub-
sisted, not on small animals, as now, but on largo prey, and thus they,
too, helped to bring about that great change which constitutes an
epoch in the sea.
MYSTERIES OF THE DEEP SEA.
40
EVOLUTION OF LIFE IN THE SEA.
The lowest order of life in the sea is the zoophyte or plant-animal,
in which the boundary between the animal and vegetable is so difficult
to discover that, like the bat, they are a part of two kinjrdoms, if I
Min.v be permitted to speak thus generally. Of these semi-animals
J»
mexora-
n among
Neptune's gup.
the sponge is most difficult to classify, notwithstanding the fact that
even at as early a day as Pliny lived, they were pronounced animals,
und the males and females distinguished from each other. But in
4a
m
8EA AND LAND.
I
modern times the sponge has been looked upon us vegetable up to a
very recent period, when it has again been placed in the animal king-
dom, though at the very lowest place. Grant has even undertaken
to prove that the sponge is oviparous, and describes its mode of
reproduction as follows :
"At certain periods of the year small spheroidal bodies are devel-
oped in the interior of the sponges, drop into the lacunce (air-cell),
with which they are pierced, and are expelled along with the water
which pours through them. These corpuscles — the reproductive
germs of the sponges — are accordingly armed with hair or filaments,
by mean>< of which they move in the water with tolerable ra[)idity,
and succeed in fixing themselves upon some object, whence they do
not stir. Ordinarily, they choose in preference the rocks and cal-
careous stones, and even excavate a kind of lodging, which at first
serves them for an asylum, and then insures them, while expanding,
a more solid support."
The test whicih admitted the sponge into the animal kingdom was
subjecting it U} fire, in which it emanates an odor very like burning
horn, thus proving that its comi»onent parts are horn, silicate and
carbonate of lime, which resemble the bones and cartilage of a zoo-
phyte. The sponge while living secretes a gelatinous substance, from
which chemists have extracted a fatty matter, thus again demonstrat-
ing its animal life ; though of organs th^re is no trace, nor do we
know how it dies.
THE SPONGE AN ANIMAL.
SaysPouchet: •' Sponges are the most truly manifold in form of
any animals; they are met with of all shapes, sizes and colors. Some
branch out like trees, many resemble a funnel or a trumpet ; others
are divided into lobes, like great fingers; for instance, Neptune's
Qlove; and there are some which are known by the name of sea-
muffs and sea-tapers, on account of their form.
, '* A closely allied variety produces regular sponge monuments,
which grow from three to six feet high, on the submarine rocks.
They have a narrow stalk which, at a certain height, expands consid-
erably, and gives the structure the look of a cup symmetrically hol-
lowed out, and exactly like an immense drinking goblet. To such a
colossal the imagination of the sailor could only give one name, that
of the redoubtable god of the sea ; this living vase is the Gup oj
Neptune.''
le up to a
mal kiiiff-
idertaken
mode of
ire devel-
air-cell),
he water
iroductive
lilaments,
rai)idiry,
B they do
3 and cal-
h at first
xpanding,
^dom was
e burning
licate and
of a zoo-
mce, from
monstrat-
lor do we
1 form of
rs. Some
!t ; others
dfeptune's
le of sea-
>numents,
le rocks.
Js consid-
ically hol-
fo such a
ame, that
e Cup oj
SPONGE GATHERING IN THE MEDITERRANEAN,
52
SEA AND LAND.
' i1
I'''
MARVELOUS ARTISANS OF THE SEA.
But a single degree above the sponge, is an order called AntkoaoaSt
meaning flower animal, which are rich in coloring, delicate in texture,
and of the most elaborate designs, composing, at times, large and
gorgeously beautiful flower gardens, and at others, stately and fan-
tastic forests. There is a classification of the anthozoas, called
Zoanthariay and having the same meaning, which comprise the most
interesting features of sea-life. This last branch is again divided
into two further divisions viz.: the fleshy and the stony zoantharia.
Of the former, the sea anemones are the more popular examples, as
they may be en in nearly all public aquaria. Their body bears
some resemblance to a bag, adhering at one end to the sea-bed, while
the other lies free and open for the reception of food. This opening
is armed with tentacles, by which the flower animal seizes its prey
and holds it until devoured. Singular enough, though the anemones
present to the superficial eye nothing but a sluggish stem of appar-
ent vegetation, yet they are not only carnivorous, but actually catch
fish and feed upon them. So voracious are they that it is hardly safe
to introduce them into an aquarium with small fishes.
CORAL WONDERS.
The stony zoantharia, also called madrepore and lithophytes (stone-
animals), is beyond compare the most wonderful inhabitant of the
ocean, as you must agree after reading even the following short de-
scription of its habits and mighty labors. In speaking of this animal,
we will use the name b}'^ which it is most generally known. Coral, and
thereby avoid possible confusion. The coral with which we are best
acquainted has a pinkish-red color, but coral is also frequently found
bearing a dozen different shades of red, so that it is classified tech-
nically among the divers and traders as "blood foam," "flower of
blood," " first," " second " and " third " blood.
Sages of antiquity were never agreed as to their opinions respecting
the nature of coral, some maintaining that it was a vegetable, othfs
as strongly asseverating that it was mineral. In 1750, Peyssonnel
demonstrated that all the old wiseacres were wrong, and that coral is
the direct result of a polyp (many-footed) animal, which builds its
fairy grottoes by secreting a calcareous matter. These singular crea-
tures bear no small resemblance to other flower animals, and are some-
times mistaken for sea flowers.
Dr. Chenu, in his admirable description of the coral, says :
MTTSTERIES OP THE DEEP SEA. »•
««The tubulose substance by which fh«ir o,.« «^ ^ , .
. filled wu. . spiou,„ .™e„L r:tx:h:";;;ra;eii7^^^^^
amerent digestive cavities ; carbonate of lime, iniuglecl
54
filSA AND LAND.
with a blood-red coloring matter, and abundantly secreted by the ani-
mal, unites together the different masses of polyps, and produces a
stem whose size is increased by the addition of new layers, and whose
elongation is effected by means of the development of new animals
at the extremity of the aggregation."
The whole presents the appearance of a tangled, branchy shrub,
destitute of leaves and twigs. The diameter of the trunk never ex-
ceeds eight inches, produced entirely by a calcareous secretion depos-
ited in concentric layers by the polyps. The exterior layer, or bark,
IS usually of a light gray color, covered with tubercles, while at the
summit there is a pierced aperture divided into eight compartments,
BIRTH OF THE CORAL WORM.
to provide means for the issue ef as many tentacles of the polyps.
These curious creatures are remarkable ior their fecundity, but are
very much moro wonderful for their admirable workmanship, skillful
engineering and illimitable industry, building up, as they do, with the
materials extracted from their own bodies, such massive citadels that
the most gigantic monuments of ancient or modern people are dwarfed
by comnarison^
' Cuvior, in his ♦« Discourse on the Surface Revolutions of the Globe,"
says: ♦« In the torrid zone, where the lithophytes (coral) are numer-
ous in species and propagate abundantly, their stony trunks inter-
MTSTERIES OF THE DEEP SEA.
55
twino themselves into rocks and reefs which, rising to the surface of
the water, close up the mouths of harbors, and lav the most terrible
snares for navigators. The sea, throwing up sand and mud on the
summit of these reefs, sometimes raises their surface above its own
level, and forms them into level islands, which in due time a rich ves-
etation vivifies." "
The tropical districts of the Pacific Ocean particularly abound with
prodigious quantities of coral, which have become veritable palaces
of the sea, as gorgeous as ever fairy raised in the creative mind of
youth.
"Plants of fibre fine as silkworm's thread,
Yea, beautiful as Mermaid's golden hair
Upon the waves dispread ;
Others that, like the broad banana growing
Raised their long wrinkled leaves of purple hue,
Like streamers wide out-flowing.
•' Trees of the deep, and shrubs and fruits and flowers
As fair as ours,
Wherewith the sea-nymphs love their locks to braid
When to their father's hall, at festival '
Repairing, they, In emulous array.
Their charms displa^i,
To grace the banquet and the solemn day." ♦
0URI08ITIE8 OF THE COBAL WORM.
Captain Hall has written a very excellent account of the coral and
Its habits, from which the following is extracted : - The examination
of a coral reef during the different stages of "one tide, is particularlv
uiteresting. When the sea has left it for some time it becomes dry
and appears to be a compact rock, exceedingly hard and ra^^cred • but
no sooner does the tide rise again, and the waves begin to tv'ish'over
It, than millions of coral worms protrude themselves from holes on
the surface, which were before quite invisible.
"These animals are of a great variety of shapes and sizes, and in
such prodigious numbers that in a short time the whole surfaco of the
rock appears to be alive and in motion. The mo^t common of the
worms at Loo Choc was in the form of a star, with arms from four
to SIX inches m length, which are moved about with r mnJd t"nf,v.. :»
all directions, probably in search of food. Others were so slucr.l'ish
that they were often mistaken for pieces of rock ; these were'gen-
•Soutliey: " Gium of Ketauna. "
56
SEA AND LAND.
erally of a dark color, from four lO five inches long, and two or three
round. When the rock was broken from a spot near the level of high
water, it was found to be a hard, solid stone , but if any part of it
were detached at a level to which the tide reached every day, it was
discovered to be full of worms of all different lengths and colors,
some being as fine as a thread and several feet long, generally of a
bright yellow, and sometimes of a blue color; while others resembled
snails, and some were not unlike lobsters and prawns in shape, but
soft, and not above two inches long.
'* The growth of coral ceases when the worm which creates it is no
longer exposed to the washing of the tide. Thus a reef rises in the
form of a gigantic cauliflower, till its top has gained the level of the
highest tides, above which the worm has no power to carry its opera-
tions, and the reef, consequently, no longer extends itself upwards.
* * * The reef, however, continually increases, and being pre-
vented from going higher, must extend itself laterally in all directions ;
and this growth being probably as rapid at the upper edge as it is
lower down, the steepness of the face of the reef is preserved ; and
it is this circumstance which renders this species of rock so dangerous
to navigation. In the first place, they are seldom seen above water ;
and in the next, their sides are so abrupt that a ship's bow may strike
against the rock before any change of soundings in licates the approach
of danger.''
ISLANDS BUILT BY CORAL WORMS.
Chamisso, another learned investigator, has given ns the result of
his observations among the coral, in a very interesting work, in which
he says, that after the reef is extended to the surface of the water
the animals cease their work, and it would jierhaps remain in this
shape but for the fact that below the line they have traced is a con-
tinuous stony mass, composed of shells, molluscs, etc., and fragments
of coral connected by calcareous sand. It often happens that the
heat of the sun penetrates this calcareous mass when it is dry, and
causes it to split open in many places ; thd waves then possess suffi-
cient force to break up the coral into blocks about six feet long and
three or four broai, which are piled up on the reef. Thus the
reef is crested by these accumulations until the waves can no longer
break over. The calcareous sands which now accumulate offer to the
seeds brought thither by the waves or winds a soil wherein vegetation
strikes root and soon covers it with a luxurious growth. Whole
MYSTERIES OF THE DEEP SEA.
57
trunks of trees, transported from remote distances, find here a
resting place ; next, small animals, such as lizards or insects, are
convejed by some inscrutable means to the artificial island and thus
become the first inhabitants of the reefs. Even before the woods
grow dense, aea-b rds hulM thoi- n— f~ r -' - - ""J""*
off^rfK. ' A ^ ■ -mKirncu ncot= m uio copses, and finaliv, long
after the industrious and patient coral-builders have completed their
work, man appears and rears his habitation on the fertile soil.
58
SEA AND LAND.
P
It 18 principally in tho South Sea and the Red Sea that the Cv^ral-
builders abound. At the approaches to the Maldive Ishindii they
form extraordinary masses, of no less extent than the Alps. After
describing the process by which the coral animals raise their danger-
ous reefs, Owen thus refers to ihe gigantic character of their labors :
♦♦The prodigious surface over which the combined and ceaseless toil
of the little architects extends ought to be taken into consideration
in order to understand the important part they j^lay in nature. They
have built a barrier of reefs four hundred miles long round New
Caledonia, and another which extends along the north-east coast of
Australia, one thousand miles in length. This represents a mass in
comparison with which the walls of Babylon and the Pyramids of
Egypt are child's toys. And these edifices of the polyps have been
reared in the midst of the ocean-waves, and iu defiance of tempests
which so rapidly annihilate the strongest works constructed by man."
OTHER AROHITEOT8 OF THE 8EA.
T-.e coral builders represent the most perfect workmanship in con-
struction and up-rearing, but we have other marine animals that are
almost as skillful architects, besides being true miners, hewing their
way through stone, cleaving even adamantine marble, and often so
seriously attacking ships as to send the strongest wooden hull to the
bottom of the sea. The most renowned stone-borers scientists have
called Pholadesy meaning, literally, lurking in a hole ; they are bi-
valved molluscs, with thin, white, elongated shells open at both ends.
At one opening is situated the respiratory tubes that pump up the sea-
water, from which it extracts the infusoria (anirnalculse), on which it
feeds. At the other, or front opening, projects the foot, so-called,
being a thick, powerful sole, which it uses to rasp the rock, and
thus, at the expense of the greatest labor it gradually works its way
into the stone by using the foot alone. Stone which lies long in the
sea is much softened by the water, and if we but rub our finger briskly
on the surface while wet, we find it easily indented. It is this same
rubbing process which the pholades employ, and by this means finally
burrow into the stone rmt of sight.
One of these marble cutters has acquired great distinction in geol-
ogy, by reason of its having attacked the temple of Jupiter Serapis,
situated on the borders of the Mediterranean, and almost on a level
*vith its waves. It has cut numerous excavations in tho beautiful
columns of this sanctuary several feet above the oresent water Hue.
MVSTEKIES Ol' THE D££P SKA.
59
THE 0E8TRU0TIVE SHIP -WORM.
But there are other workmen m the sea more injurious and no less
industrious than the phoiades. I refer to the Taredo (from the Greek,
to rub) riavalis, or ship-worm. These animals are vermiform mol-
luscs, which live in the interior ot wood that is submerged in the sea.
It is continually gnawing, and thus cuts numerous tortuous galleries]
until the wood which it attacks is reduced to the frailest shell. " The
head of this animal is armed
with a little shell, projecting
beyond its soft body with
which it does the cuttinir:
hence the Greek word bv
which it is known is hardlv
applicable, since it certainly
does not cleave its way in the
wood hv rubbinir.
The ravages of the taredo,
when it attacks ships, is
something terrible, since in a
short space of time they re-
duce the strongest beams and
timbers to a state of fraoilo
THE TAREDO, OR SHIP-WORM.
sponge. In 1731 these ani-
mals came very near occasioning the submerging of Holland, having
devoured a greater part of the Zealand dykes before their mischievous
work was discovered.
Working always in the interior of the wood, the rava-es they
perpetrate are not easily detected until the whole is readv to^ollapsc
from weakness; iience, to preserve vessels from these dreadful wood
devourers, their l)ottoms are carefully lined with copper.
CHAPTER VI.
^^^^ ■ ARMOR-CLAD SEA WARRIORS.
^^tiH^^^ infinite life which pervades the ocean requires an encyclo-
WM^:' P^*^''' ^'*'" '^^ description; hence, it will be necesaarv to nji^s
^s^P "''^'' "^^"^^ interesting things in order to give space to the
-^ most important. I should have liked to mention the medusa,
or jelly-fish, which are so curir)us, and which have afforded me many
60
SGA AND LAND.
hours of AmiiRement ; also, the sea hedgehog, venuj-girdle and a
score of other phiiit-animals, as they are called, hut I must forego
my wishe**, else this work must necessarily " be stretched out to the
crack of doom ;" for no one book could contain it all.
Mangin has wol! said: "To n strain the infinite multiplication
of inferior beings, and to cleanse the shores from the refuse of dead
or dying animals accumulated thereon 'by the ebbing tides, ocean
nourishes numerous monsters, hideously ugly and voracious, but
strong, invulnerable, admirably organized, armed with a view to their
deadly mission —death and destruction. These animals are the
CiicstacecB — should ^hey not rather be called the cuirassiers? — lob-
sters, crabs, and especially those horrible sea-spectres, with sidelong
march, crooked claws, disproportionately long in some species, with
enormous talons of extraordinary s^'cngth, a squat body encased in a
hard, thick shell, ingeniously composed of pieces Avhich present no
point of vantage to an enemy, and yet preserve perfect liberty of
movement. In the infernal regions of crabs, monsters two feet long
have been discovered." I may also add that upon one occa^ >n I
saw a live lobster, quite as large as an ordinary dog. It was kept
chained, and well it might be, for it was as ferocious as a bull-dog
and equally dangerous; a grip of its huge claw; would have destroyed
a man's arm, and jo vengeful did it always appear, that no one dared
to approach within its reach.
Michelet has observed: " If, in the first place, one visits a rich
collection of mediteval armor, and after having contemplated the
heavy masses of iron which immured our knights, one flies imme-
diately to a museum of natural history, and inspects the arms and
mail of the crustacese, one feels a sincere compassion for the arts of
man. The former are but a carnival of absurd disguises, heavy and
cumbrous, well adapted to suffocate the warrior and render him help-
less and harmless. The oth< rs, and especially those of the terrible
decapodo, (having ten feet) are so frightful, that if these animals
were enlarged only to man's size, no one could endure their aspect ;
the bravest would be overwhelmed, magnetized with terror."
The crustaceee (shell-covered) are nearly all arrayed, in their atti-
tudes of combat, under that formidable offensive and defensive
arsenal which they carry so lightly ; strong pincers, sharpened lances,
mandibles which could eat through iron, bucklers bristling with darts
which have but to clasp you close, and pierce you with a thousand
MYSTERIES OF THE DEEP SEA. jj
his thick hide. " '"""^ "» protection id
. FUNNY EXPERIENCE WITH BAND FIDDLER,
The smallest crab, the Talilre, h u cu„„i.,. imic. follow thnf
to spring spontaneously from the s,„„l t . , """"PP««>-8
feno»-^:„„try,„cn. as soon aVsomr ^ ° T'"* """'""' »' ""»
My first experience withX" m"e 3 " "'"'"' "" "" ""' ''<""''■•
Previous to the buildin" of he «»• . T' ""'' " ^''^ '="">'™l ""«•
River. I was sent to ll delta •„" V r"""" "' "-e Mississippi
of Captain Eadsuhctht:t;xro;:s:v'r""'^^
to go out upon a board foot-path which' ■- be™ Zh '"^ ""^'''"
peninsula, at the terminus „> Pa„ ,• ", , '"" """"^ "•"■oss a sedgy
large number of talitrcs. genera rCm^r: ^ ""fij: °'"^ 7T "
ingin my mind's eye visions of deaa.' ., J' 1 j ""'' "'"' '"''-
eluded that I was beset by a colZ r i' ."'"'"'""''y <-•»"■
must certainly be bitten beC e^ wa Tss bir''"', '"''"" ""-
which I sought to avoid the little crabs must hi™ .'"""""""'"
amusDg.andwhcnlina.lotl.. I » . ™ """"' extremely
of insects, the limit of ludicrJ """"" '''"'^' "''"'"'^ "■» patch
been sorei; fri»hte, ed bt a n Ir''"/"'' "''^'""^ '''"'^•"'- I h»d
timid ereafurcs:th:tto„'^; ,";■"'':■•."';'::? ''"■■""^™ ""^ exceedinglv
to approach them do 1 me.rj'ifk^ disappeared had I attempfei
their toes to the groiind a!^ l„f '"^^'^ "PP""»"> '»"<'''«nly
alarmed, when the^ d^t 'off ' uddllv Th"""' ""^ """"'' ""^
and 80 numerous that thev kopn th u 'r^ ^^^^ g»eat scuvengers,
matter. ^ ^'^ '^" ''^^^^ ^J^ansed of all animal
m. , , , ■""= FORMIDABLE CANCER-CRAB.
lUe largest and most terrible of the familv «^
cancer-crab, a creature of c^rent now.,. i I crustaceee is the
pons to make his power dCfurm;''"''^ ^''**^" »^'"^"^ ^«-
diately begin to battle but th. " '"'' '""'"' "^^^<= *^«^ ^'"'"e.
otherim!rtiali th Ixtr me "i:"" '"."'f *^«^ Wmach each
thevwalk on f, ....... Jfu !™'- , ^'"'"^ ^fa«'> heads hi^h as Dos«ihl.
togethermost • sav^^ei;::^^^ Ca^h
the sounds the, produce, coupled^vith the^r ^;^::io:l*^^^^^^^^^
' ' ' t
62
SEA AND LAND.
1;
1
vfBl ^ ),
m^i
, A
It
dreadfu. enough. They fight like gladiators of old, leaving some of
their lances (claws) always on the ground. But the loss of a claw or
^e'T to the crab is of little consequence, for the lost members are
tfOeedily reproduced.
A SHIP-WRECKED CREW DEVOURED BY CRABS.
The food of the cancer-crab is decaying animal matter, but tliev
Are not averse to fresh meat and have been known even to attack dis-
abled mariners. It is said that several of Drake's seamen, having
been cast by shipwreck upon a desert island in a helpless condition,
were set upon by a legion of these terrible creatures and devoured.
The species most popularly known on our shores are the hermit,
the soldier, and the cenobite crab, each receiving its name from a
peculiar characteristic of the animal.
The hermit crab is a veritable cuckold, that despoils a mollusc of
its shell and then occupies it itself. But it does not always shelter
itself at the expense of another's home, for more commonly it seeks
among the empty shells which strew the beach, turning them over
and trying them with great fastidiousness until it finds one to suit. At
other times they despoil each other, not, however, until a long strug-
gle determines which is the stronger. As the hermit grows he must
change his shell to accommodate his body. He is a voracious fellow,
living chiefly on molluscs, but in ai> hour of scarcity he does not hesi-
tate to act the cannibal.
MARVELOUS EXHIBITION OF CANNIBALISM.
But I cannot charge the hermit with greater sins than are commit-
ted by his fellows, for all crabs are cannibals, the weaker always suc-
cumbing to the stronger. Mr. Rymer Jones relates a singular story,
the facts of which must make us harbor more or less dislike for the
voracious crustacean. Says Mr. Jones :
" On one occasion I introduced six crabs of different sizes into mv
aquarium. One of them venturing toward the middle of the reser-
voir was immediately accosted by another a little larger, which took
it with its claws as it might have taken a biscuit, :ind set about break-
ing its shell, and so found a way to its tiesh. It dug its cro()k<d
claws into it with voluptuous enjoymeir;, appearing to pay no atten-
tion to the anger and jealousy of another of its companions, which
was still stronger and as cruel, that advanced toward them. Oui
ferocious crustacean quietly continued its repast, when its companion
seized it exactly as it had seized its prey, broke and tore it in the
w some of
a claw ov
mbers are
, but they
ittacU di.s-
111, liaviiii>-
condition,
voured.
le hermit,
lie from a
mollusc of
lys shelter
ly it seeks
them over
o suit. At
ong struii-
vs he must
1US fellow,
s not hesi-
rc comniil-
ilways sue-
ular story,
ko for the
es into my
the resei-
fc^hich took
out break-
ts crooked
y no atten-
ons, which
em. Oui
COCOANUT-EATING CiUJBS
03
64
SEA AND LAND.
same fashion, penetrating to its middle, and tearing out its entrai s m
th^same savage manner. In the meantime the victim singu ajb'
enough, did not disturb itself for a moment, but contuiued to eat the
first crab bit by bit, until it was itself entirely torn to pieces by its
own executioner-a remarkable instance at once of insensibility to
pain and of cruel infliction under the lex talionis (the law of retali-
ation). To eat and to be eaten, seems to be one of the great laws of
nature.**
0RAB8 THAT BREAK OOOOANUT8.
Though essentially carnivorous, the crustaceans sometimes eat
marine vegetables. Many even seem to prefer fruit to animal food.
Such is the tree-crab of the Polynesian Isles, which feeds a most ex-
clusively on the cocoanut. This crab has thick and strong claws ; the
others are comparatively weak. At first glance it «ee«^7.7"«f ^^
that it could penetrate a hard cocoanut surrounded by a thick bed of
fibre and protected by its strong shell, yet it is a conimon circuni-
stance, witnessed bv many travelers. The crab begins by tearing of^
the fibre at the exti^mity where the fruit is, always choosing tlerigh
end. When this is removed, it strikes it with its great claws until it
has broken an opening through the shell; then, by ^he a.d of its
slender claws, and by turning itself round, it extracts the whole sub-
stance of the nut.
MONSTER 8EA" SPIDERS.
From an article in a recent number of St. Nicholas, I condense the
following interesting information about crabs : . , t
Amonc' the most remarkable, and the largest of crabs, is the Jap-
anese se^-spider, highly esteemed in the Orient as an excellent article
of food. Its principal claws are each five feet in length, measuring
from ten to twelve feet between the tips of the nippers, and present-
ing an astonishing spectacle when entangled in the nets and hauled
aboard the boats. With their slow, measured movements and power-
ful weapons of defense, these crabs are the giants of the spiders of
the sea. Professor Ward, who has collected them in Japan, states
that they have a remarkable hfibit of leaving the water at night and
crawling up the banks presumaoly to feed, and that there they are
sought by the crab-hunters. A story is told of a party of fishemen
who had camped out on a river bank, and one or whoui arouse^ the
others in the night by yells and screams. Running to the spot they
found that one of these monster crabs, in wandering over the flats,
>n circuni-
MTSTERIES OF THE DEEP 8EA. gjj
..e pig, .0. the ..,e. u ^^^v^r.^^^:,^:::^^
THE JAPANESE, OR SPIDER CRAB,
66
SEA AND LAND.
The Pirate-crab i, a voracious creai're and adopts many strange
Tlie pirate crao numerous about Florida
devices to procure ^'^ '°»^; ^tej ;';„ {m,, „hich they sei.e in
Keys --l -Y"^ t ,y ■" foJl iierh is also exhibited by other
their ™^''- .^/y'P"'„ from St. Mchoh, will show: "I have
species, as the following *"'■" J"' „ ^ ■ jhe breeding sea-
nften watched the bermit-crabs of B^ ^^^^J^ ^„^
rlldt:..::!: ' 111.1."™ »d the you„g ..irds. The noddy
::;i1,:=ty .e .w .^ced»r. the ^^Zt^-^'
fully watched by ■'/«''» "'P'»';;;'',„d , t,,e red-tinted fellow,
!:■ ™;u:ibs, with hcis -:;;rz:^:^ir:::;:zi::l
toward the ne«. S"- « -^ ." £ "end .he trunk of the tree,
mi:!; «;"'; y b™„ h^'lld't'wig abo.. the nes. is occupied by a
1 Irl while the young bird, with wings <M-ect, vainly endeavors
,.„bl,ei-c, d, «h,le the yo . ^^ ^^^^ ^^^^^^.^^^^ ^^„,,,^^
ThrXvit from ail ^ides, unites in a general battle in which the
Pi .«c r rS,s fall in a shower to the ground, where the combat .
a„ t„.,cld.i<' with great stealth until witlim a couple of feet of th
bbld, tt^^ ium";.s and sei.es the prey, which it proceeds to eat
■"'S'pur;^^' ort.d.cr,b, is foun^ in neuriy every portion of .W
tropics and i^ the Wc»t Indies they commit great ravages upon th.
tZr-cane plantations. On some of ^he more unfrequented islands
n^ay "'ju"<= ""=»» -"b. make a remarkable pilgrimage. Tn
Iwe'^f^r the greater part of the year ,upo, th^high l,nds several ml.
from the sea ; but once a ycai- tney leavc tu.„ lw..c, ,.n, ...-
„ Z in vast columns, often three miles long .and two i>"»'>; , ; '
fiffy feet broad, to the sea, where tboy deposit ^^^YT.r.^t^
MYSTERIES OP THE DEEP SEA.
67
undaunted perseverance that overcomes all obstacles. At this time
they are caught in large numbers for the table, as on the return march
to the hills they are in poor condition and soon shed their shells
CURIOUS GRABS.
The mask-crab is a curious specimen of the quaint in nature, its
back being so singularly marked as to strikingly resemble a human
face, and particularly a mask,!
from whence it takes its name
The glass-crab is another curios-
ity, since its body is so trans-
parent that print may be easily
read through it, u precaution na-
ture has taken to protect it from
hungry fishes whose eyes fail to
discover it.
" In th^ selection of their homes
the crabs show curious character-
istics. Some of the hermits bur-
row in the sand, arranging the
opening so that the large claw fits
it perfectly, forming ai, animated
door that rises up to grasp any in-
truder that seeks entrance. Cer-
tain crabs travel about on the backs
of turtles ; there is one kind that
lives in the interior of the sea-cu-
cumber, while another crab is
found living within the large Bra-
zilian star-fish. One little fellow
of the crab family lives in the folds
of the jelly-fish, while another
clings to the feathers of a certain
sea-bird. In the deep sea noire
crab, are blind, while other, have wonderful pho8phoi».cent eyes,
!:t'™ irl'S't^'^P^ f «"•* «»-' --'<•• Many orab, are fa Jo«,
Z^T'°"7 T ™fKnowu »8 Henslow's swimming 'i>b, often
Ihi tok •? ^r ""'■ ''"' ''"^ '"'o » '«'"">' "' """"g" ^^
CRAB LIFTING A GOAT.
68
8£A AND LAND.
CHAPTER 'HI.
MORRIS^ E MONSTERS OF THE DEEP.
5NE of the most beautiful creatures of the sea is the Nautilug,
or Argonauta, thoMgh it has a family alliance with the lioi-
rible of horrors, the great polypus, which we will sooo do
^W^ scribe. There is in reality ; slight difference between tht
nautilus and the argonauta, but so geneially are they confoundefi th ;t
they will here be treated as the same. Its body is cval iu shape and
THE NAUTILUS, IN THREE POSITIONS.
reposes in a shell to which, however, there is no muscular attachment,
and it may therefore be cast at pleasure. About its head are eight
tentacuise, or fleshy arms, which are furnished with saucer-shaped
Buckers. The two principal arms terminate with palmated mem-
branes, which act like sails to bear it along the surface of the water.
Its shell is shaped like a fairy vessel, and when on the surface pre-
seut» a very beautiful appearance r but the argonauta not only Bails,
but swims as well, by driving water through a locomotive tubr <?;'lled
the aiphunck' Sometimes be crawls oa the bottom, and i ')er
MYSTERIES OF THE DEEP SEA.
69
times swims in mid-air with great rapidity. So nicely adjusted is his
vessel that when alarmed he hides himself completely within his shell
and, turning over, sinks quickly to the bottom.
Nearly allied to the argonaut are the cuttle-f sh, calamary and the
really formidable polypus, or octopus, sometimes, but improperlv
called the devil-fish, though it is quite horrible enough to deserve that
figurative appellation. Like the argonauta, these animals are supplied
WMfi powerful retractile arms, along which are several suckers which
eiabit) them to hold on to rocks with great tenacity ; they also have a
ha d bony beak, very closely resembling that of the parrot; their
body has the form of a bag enveloped by a hood, in which is a
pocket secreting a substance that they can eject at will, and which is
so intensely black that they can hide themselves entirely from view
hy discoloring the water with it. This ink is well known to painters
under the name of sepia. The calamary borrows its name from the
Latm calamarium, formerly applied to writing-cases and their neces-
sary utensils, and very closely resembles the cuttle-fish. Its flesh is
sometimes used for food, but is never considered a delicacy, though
It IS a most excellent bait for fish. ^
THE FRIQHTI*UL POLYPUS.
hJ""! P^lyP"'^''"^,"", «;<"•»"• bony skeleton, though in its organiza-
tion .t d,ffe« but l.ttle from other cephalopoda. The body seL, to
be contamed in a kind of bag, from whence issues the very large
head e,n,n,ated by eight long tentacles or arms. Just beW the
ba»e, from which the arms radiate, is situated the mouth, partly cov-
ered by a large and extremely hard beak, with which the animal
crushes the shell-fish that constitute its principal food
the m/''™^ ""'!" .'°'""'"''' '"""' ""^ ^"""^ "««" »' locomotion and
he means by which it seizes and holds its prey. On the inner side of
these are a great many valves for suction, which are used, not as for-
re^uT;'',*" •'™"""' "'""'^ '™"' '"« "'"»»'« it ttackT, but
Ittack "^ ''""""''^ '° ""> ™*^ <»• *'""«™^ P«y it may
Generally the polypi are sedentary and solitary, thou<.h thev mav
UK crevice of the rocks, from whence it is e»oeoJi„<,i.. Jias-.... .-
lUislodge them. At all times carniverous, the^wa^ .n";::;!':
arte on certain kinds of fish and molluscs, which the^ ofteTwi!
»«.ely for the gratification of destroying. The common s^cU.
I- ^ ''} ° i.
70
SeA AMD LAND.
rarely exceed twelve feet in length, of which the tentacles occupy
more t^an two-thirds, but there are exceptional monsters, of which
I will speak presently. Old n.ariners, in whom the spirit of exag-
geration is predominant, tell marvelous tales of their expenence, or
reports they have heard, concerning gigantic polypi both in the Po ar
and Tropical seas. It is said that these monsters not infrequently
attack the largest whales, which they kill speedily and glut themselves
on the carcass, while many and many are the stones told of unfor-
tunate persons who have fallen victims to their voracity.
THE GREATEST MONSTER OF ANTE-DILUVIAN TIMES.
Michelet gives us a fine description of the aiuestry a. well as the
present character of the polypi, in the following: -In the more
ancient formations of the old world we find the murderous beast
an eater and a sucker. The first is revealed to us by the imprint of
the trilobite, a species now lost, the most destructive of extinct
bein-s (in the paleozoic period). The second subsists in one feartul
fragment, a beak nearly two feet in length, which was that of a
«rreat »ucker or cuttle-fish (Sepia). If we may judge from such a
beak, this monster, if the other parts of the body were in proportion,
must have been enormous; its ventrose, invincible arms, of perhaps
twenty or thirty feet, like those of some monstrous spider, ihe
sucker of the world, soft and gelatinous 1 it is himself. In making
war on the molluscs he remains mollusc also ; that is to say, always
an embryo. He presents the strange, almost ridiculous, if it were
not also terrible, appearance of an embryo going to war; of a
foetus furious and cruel, soft and transparent, but tenacious, breath-
ing with a murderous breath, for it is not for food alone that
it makes war; it has the wish to destroy. Satiated tmd even burst-
ing, it still destroys. Without defensive armor, under its threatening
murmurs there is no peace; its safety is to attack. It regards all
creatures as a possible enemy. It throws about its long arms, or
rather thongs, armed with suckers, at random. '
ATTACKED BY A HORRID SQUID.
The following incident has been abbreviated from Mr. Beale's
"Natural History and Fishery of the Sperm Whale." Mr. Beale
U-.3 u „..„k: — t^y ohplU "Miono- t.hfi rocks in Bonin Island, and
was much astonished to see at his feet a most extraordinary lookmji
animal, crawling back toward the surf which it had just left. It was
creeping on its eight legs, which, from their soft and flexible nature,
>tVsTBRlE8 OP ThB DEEl" SEA.
71
bent considerably under the weight of its body, so that it was just
lifted by an effort above the rocks. It appeared much alarmed, and
>
>
z
H
7t
O
O
Ci
C
made every attempt to escape. Mr. Beale endeavored to detain it by
placing his feet on onu s- the tentacles, but despite his exertions the
n
6fiA AND tAKft.
animal continually liberated itself. Finally he seized one of the ten-
tacles with his hand and, bracing himself against a ock, held on untd
it appeared the limb would be parted by the strain. Thus for a while
the two pulled with all their strength, neither apparently bemg the
stronger, until suddenly the enraged animal released its hold on the
rocks and sprang on to Mr. Beales arm, which was bared to the
shoulder. A more dreadful strugr^' ^med, for from captive
the cephalopod had become capt-" 1 v, ^- - tiie act of making a meal
off Mr Beale's arm. Despite ui hv, oouia do, the animal clung by
its suckers to his arm and tr .d to tear the flesh with its horrid
beak, in which it would certainly have succeeded but for timely assist-
ance froln some sailors, who killed it with a boat-hook; yet, to free
the animal's tentacles from the arm it was nece^ , them away
bit by bit. Mr. Beale describes its cold, slimy grasp as terribly sick-
ening, and expressed tha belief that he would have speedily fainted
had assistance been .< of erred a moment longer.
TERniB .E ADVENTURE WITH AN OCTOPUS.
The following a' venture was related by a gentleman who, previous
to the great civil v^ar, was a well-known sponge-gatherer in the South,
having at one time hundreds of divers in his enaploy, and supplying
nearly all the sponges used in this country. Said he:
"We were off the Florida coast gathering sponges. In those
days— and the practice is still pursued bj the poorer classes of
sponge-gatherers— we got our sponges by anchoring our small sJoop
or schooner over the bed, anJ then diving from her rail to the bottom
of the sea, carrying a weight ii^)ng to sink us the faster. A good
pair of lungs and years of practice finally enabled me to reach bot-
tom in thirty or thirty-five feet of water aiA come up with .lore or
less of a haul.
" On that warm coast the sharV and i'iifl octopi and other horrible
things belonging to the fish or re, , Ue species a present and often
lying in wait. The diver has a horror of them at first, but the feeling
soon wears away, and some men br e perfectly reckless. During
the first year I never went down without a sharp ^: life in my belt to
give any prowling shark a thrust, but later on I woi^M take i heauer
off the rail when a shark's dorsal fin was cutti..f| tho water not i'
hundred yards away.
«♦ During the scconf' season we lost two n i b harks, but I >ok
no precaution : «,nd h&d no narrow escapes. a thu beginning of the
1IY8TKRIE8 OF THE DEEP SEA.
73
third season we anchored over a splendid bed, in a location well shel-
tered from Btorm and 8well,'and we had i on to anticipate a profit-
able catch.
•• There were four of us on that trip, anu the first man off the rail
was ail old diver named Peterson. This was about seven o'clock in
the morning, and although we had been up for two hours the bay had
been clear of sharks. We watched Peterson go over, but we watched
lit vain for him to come up. Twenty seconds passed— then thirty-
then forty, and the ciptain leaned over the rail and cried out :
• * Boys, the old man has got fast down there and is a goner.'
•• We waited ten seconds longer and then felt sure that we should
never ses the old man alivo again. We were in twenty-eight feet of
water, and the trawl showed the bottom to be clear of weeds and
made up of rock and sand. It was hard to guess what had happened.
He s.ight have bumped his head against a rock, or had his foot caught
in a crevice ; he might have burst a blood-veesel or been taken with
cramps. None of us thought of an octopus in connection with his
sad fate. We had seen a small one t ee days before, and we knew
that the creatures lurked in the still waters, but somehow we specu-
. lated on ail oth. r theories but this.
•« As you may imagine, the loss of old Peterson upset us, and it was
a good half-hour before any of us had rallied our courage. It was my
next t ;-!i down, and as I finally got ready to go the Captain handed
meal*) ', keen shark-knife on which he had just put an edge. I ^
accepteo . moru in hopes that it might be useful in enabling me to
send up tht lead body than through any bodily fear. If Peterson
had been < .^Ut in a crevice, or was held fast by a marine plant, the
knife woi. >i loose lim.
" Well, over I i at last, and it was only a few seconds before I
struck bottom close to a large rock. Sponges were growing all
around me, and as I reached out for the nearest I felt 8o;:?ething whip
across my bare shoulders. All the dress I had on was a pair of
trunks, leaving legs, shoulders, arms and most of the be j nakvc'.
That'* something" stung and burned and blistered, butinVi^^eJ
onds the feehng had passed from shoulders to waist, and in another
second it was in my logs. It was not until I tried to spring away that
i reaii2ea my sitrrtion. At the first move I was jerked in the' most
violent manner towards the rock, and f he b irning increased tenfold.
An octopus bad gripped me. He nad three of his terrible arms
m* i» ft
FATAL ADVENTURE WITH AN OCTOPUS
74
MYSTERIES OV THE DEEP 8EA.
75
il't'i
&^£,
nroiiud me, and was dniwing mo to the rock. How his suckers
])un)cd and blistered ! How tho hairy arms gripped and twisted I
" I tell you 1 was a frightened man, and for several seconds forgot
that I iiad a knife in my belt. When I tinally reached for it the
octopus hud drugged mc into the shadow of the rock, and there I saw
old Peterson's body. Two of the creature's arms were around it and
I was to nuike a second victim.
*» As I drew the knife I caught sight of the body of the reptile. In
fact, tho arms were drawing mo within roach of its beak. I did not
sla>h lit the arms, but struck straight at the jelly-like body. I had
then been down so long that my ears wore roaring and I realized that
I had only u few seconds to spare. I.uck guided my blows and I
slashed at tho creature until pieces of the body floated around me and
:he arms let up their grip. Then I started for the surface, and I
reached it about as near dead as a man could be and have any life
loft. They pulled me inboard, and with mc came the three terrible
arms which had been cut from the body. Not a sucker would loosen
its grip, and they had to cut them off with knives, one by one, close
to my Hesh.
•'Well, that was tho last dive I ever made, for I was in bed for
months. I can show you thirty spots on my body Avhero the flesh
looks like a fire-burn, and the remembrance of the situation down
there will start a chill over me in the hottest day."
ADVENTURES WITH THE FRinHTFUL SQUID.
In olden times sailors were harassed by many groundless fears,
superstitions being abundant and ignorance general. The early Span-
ish poetic chroniclers, who delighted in telling the story of Columbus*
voyages, invariably disfigured their narratives with miracles and
wonders. In those days Jack, looking over the side of his vessel,
was prepared to see anything, and to this willing disposition may be
attributed the creation of mermaids, sea-serpents, grinning or wink-
in" monsters, and leviathans big enough to swallow a ship. There
was the squid which, as the sepia octopus, we know in these days to
be an extremely large and most diabolically unpleasant beast; but in
the olden times this animal was reckoned to bo larger than a cathe-
draU in proof of which tho following story is recited :
" A big shii). was on the West At'ricati coast ; the men were getting
the anchor, when a squid arose and wreathed its fearful snake-like
limbs around the vessel's spars. The tips of these limbs soared
76
6EA AND LAND.
quiveringly high above the mastheads, and the weight of the cuttle
hove the ship down on to her beam ends. Here now was a lively sit-
u
u
<
untion. Tho crew plied axes and knives, but in vain, whereupon
they invoked the aid of tbeii patron saint, Thomas. Eventually the
v4^r
MYSTERIES OF THE DEEP SEA.
77
wounded monster grew alarmed and sank, and the crew afterward, to
commemorate their deliverance, marched in a body to the Church of
St. Thomas, where subsequently there was hung up a painting, repre-
senting the unparalleled conflict."
As Figuier says, it is no easy task to separate the real from the
fabulous history of the cephalopods (a Greek word, which implies
that the position of the feet is in the anterior part of the head).
Pliny, the ancient, relates the history of an enormous cuttle-fish that
haunted the coast of Spain and desstroyed the fishmg ground. He as-
serts that this creature was iinally captured, and weighed seven hundred
pounds, and that its arms were thirty feet in length. As the cuttle-
fish was esteemed by the ancients a most savory dish, the head of
this formidable monster was given to Lucullas, to whom it belonged
rightfully by reason of his exalted rank.
FACTS ABOUT QIQANTIO CALAMAR8. *
It is an undisputed fact that there exists in tlie Mediterranean and
other seas, cuttle-fish of extraordinary size ; to deny this would be
to dispute the assertions of hundreds of responsible persons, as well
also to deny the evidences which are contained in several museums,
where specimens of this huge creature are preserved. A calamar was
caught some years ago near Nice, which weighed upwards of thirty
pounds. Less than forty years ago an individual of the same genus
was caught in the same place, that measured six feet in length,
and its body is now preserved in the Museum of Natural History at
Moiitpelier. Peron, the distinguished naturalist, asserts that ho met
with one off the coast of Australia that was nearly eight feet long.
Two travelers, Quoy and Gaimard, picked up the skeleton of a cuttle-
fish in the Atlantic Ocean, near the equator, which, when living, must
hnvf< weighed at least two hundred pounds. M. Rung found in the
Atlsmac the body of another, which he describes as being as large as
a tun cask. In this instance the tentacles were quite short, and the
body of a reddish color. He secured one of its mandibles, which is
still preserved in the Museum of the College of Surgeons in Paris,
and is the size of a man's hand.
In 18.53 a gigantic cephalopod was cast ashore on the coast of
Jutland, where it perished. Some fishermen dismembered the body
and bore it away m several wheelbarrow loads. The back part of
the mouth of this animal is suid to have been as large as the head of
m infant. Another, equally great, was tuken in the Atl>i»tic ip 1658,
78
SEA AND LAND.
Mm
while it wa8 engaged in a deadly combat with a whale, specimens of
which may been seen in the museum at Copenhagen.
MONSTERS IN THE GREAT DEPTHS OF THE SEA.
Dr. Walsh, naturalist to the expedition sant out by the English
Government to make deep sea soundings off the coast of Green-
land in the ship Bull-dog, expressed the opinion that the ophicoma
(small serpents), drawn up alive by the sounding lead, inhabit the
deeps. This opinion strikingly accords with the old legends that
tell of marine monsters living at the bottom of the sea, and envelop-
ing with their arms all things that approached them. Dr. Walsh says :
" We cannot, therefore, doubt that the depths of the sea, where veg-
etables flourish eight hundred feet in length, like the colossal f ucus of
Forster, are also peopled with monstrous animals, whose organism is
adapted to these unknown regions, whence they but rarely emerge.
Their very real appearances have formed the basis of the mysterious
traditions, which, for more than two thousand years, have been trans-
mitted from generation to generation of mariners, and which have
given birth to the fantastic creation of the Kraken and the sea ser-
pent.
'* While the masses of small gelatinous medusas floatmg at the sur-
face provide food for the enormous whales, there is also at the bot-
tom of the sea an abundant prey for these prodigious animals."
But the most important, if not conclusive, evidence yet supplied to
sustain the oft-asserted belief that there are mightier monsters in the
deep than modern naturalists have yet described, or are willing to
admit, is found in an account given by M. Sabin Perthelot, the French
consul at Teneriffe, of an encounter with a polypus, as follows :
CAPTURE OF A OIOANTIG CUTTLE-FISH,
««0n the 2d of December, 1861, the steam dispatch-boat Alecto,
commanded by Lieutenant Bouyer, dropped anchor in our roads on
her voyage to Cayenne. The ship had encountered at sea, between
Madeira and Teneriffe, a monstrous polypus swimming on the surface
of the water. This animal measured from sixteen to eighteen feet in
length, without counting the eight formidable arms covered with air-
holes, that encircled its head. Its color was a brick-red ; its eyes, placed
level with the top of its head, were prodigiously developed, and
glared with a frightful fixity. Its mouth, like a parrot's beak, was
nearly a foot and a half in width. Its body fusiform, but much
pwolleo towftr4 the center, presented an enormous mass whose
Imens of
' English
if Green-
)phicoma
habit the
ends that
envelop-
ilsh says :
here veg-
1 f ucus of
ganism is
'■ emerge,
lysterious
ecu trans-
hich have
3 sea ser-
at the sur-
it the bot-
ils."
applied to
ters in the
willing to
;he French
lows:
)at Alecto,
• roads on
a, between
the surface
teen feet in
d with air-
yes, placed
U)ped, and
beak, was
but much
lass whose
;^
80
SEA AND LAND.
weight might be computed at four thousand four hundred pounds.
Its fins, situated at it. posterior extremity, were rounded into fleshy
lobes of a very great size. . , , .^
*♦ It was on the SOth of November, about hal: an hour after noon,
that the crew of tb« jUedc descried this terrble cephalopod swim-
ming along-sde. The commandant immediately stopped his vessel,
and desp te the animal'« dimensions, manceuvered to catch it. A
slip-knot war made ready, muskets were loaded and harpoons pre-
pared in all haste. But at th first balls fired the monster dived
underneath the vessel, quickly appearing on the other side. Attacked
anew with the harpoons, and after receiving several discharges of
musketry, he disappeared twice or thrice, each time showing himself
a few moments afterwards at the surface, agitating his long arms.
But the ship continued to follow him, or rather checked her course
according to the animal's movements. This chase lasted for two or
three hours . „ . , ^ 4.
"The captain ol the Alecto grew anxious, at all risks, to capture
this novel kind of foe. Nevertheless, he dared not hazard the lives of
his sailors by lowering a boat, which this monster would have readily
capsized by seizing it with one of its formidable arms. The harpoons
aimed at it penetrated its soft flesh and flew back without inflicting
any mortal injury. Several balls had hit it in vain. At length it
received a shot which seemed to wound it seriously, for it immediately
vomited a gre«t quantity of froth and blood mixed with glutinous
matter, which diffused a strong odor of musk. It was at this crisis
that the sailors contrived to catch it with a running-knot, but the
rope glided along the mollusc's elastic body, and only stopped when
near the extremity at the junction of the two flns. They attempted
to haul it on board, and already the greater portion of its body was
clear of the water, when its enormous weight drew the rope right
through its flesh, and separated the hinder portion from the remainder
of the animal. Then the monster, released from its bonds, fell back
into the sea and disappeared."
Berthelot closes this, very interesting account with the assertion
that he himself saw the posterior parts of this marvelously strange
monster, and he also sent a drawing of the polypus, made by a sailor
witness, to the Minister of Marine. Lieutenant Bouyer submitted an
equally elaborate report of the encounter to the Academy of Sciences,
where it was received without any evideaces of incredulity.
MYSTERIES OP THE DEEP SEA.
81
A MONSTER THAT DESTROYS SHIPS-THE KRAKEN.
The visitor to tlie coast of Norway, even to-day, is certain to hear
stories of the kraken, which, according to ancient legend, is a vora-
cious and jlossal animal of deformed shape, with arms aslon^asthe
ATTACK ON THE GREAT CUTTLE-FISH. .
longest serpent, and covert.5 vjfa innumerable suckers. This mon-
xn- is malignantly carnivore as, noi content with the food
nds in its natural element, > ut it is ever lusting after human
land blood, (t is ttlways at night, aud esjpemlly during the furv of ^
ich it
flesh
8?
SEA AND LAND.
Storm, that he rises from his lair in the abyss of the deep, to search
fortbr helples. vovagerr whc an overtaken by the wh.rJw.nd. To
secure his prey he wrapc hi. might> arms about the masts of the ship
and drags tho vessel and :u living freight down under the waves. It
is said that the sole meanr ol escape for the crew thus attacked is by
severing the tentacles of tho animal with an axe; but often new mem-
bers grow again so quickly that even this means of escape is quite
uncertain. . . , ...
Deni= d8 Monfort gives a scientific description and representation
of this Jcraken, which he calls the Colossal Poulpe, in which the
creature is made to embrace a three-masted vessel in its vast arms
Delighted with the success which his representation met with, he
laughed at the credulity of his contemporaries. - If my kraken
takes wi«h them," he said, - 1 shall make it extend its arms to both
shores of the Straits of Gibraltar : if my entangled ship is accepted
I will make my poulpe overthrow a whole fleet." , ,, ,
Pontoffian, the holy bishop of Bergen, not to be outdone by Mont,
fort, declared that he had seen the kraken, and that it was so large
that a whole regiment of soldiers could easily maneuver on its back.
A SEA MONSTROSITY.
In 1834, Captain Neill, of the ship Robertson, who is reputed a
sensible and cool-headed man, gives us an account of a monster
which he met in mid-ocean, quite as formidable as anything in fable.
His attencion was first called to an object some distance off, which very
much resembled a ship lying on her beam ends, but upon approach-
ing nearer he discovered, so he says, a monster fish swimming to
windward. Its head, which he affirmed was only partly out of water,
showed twelve feet of its length, and was at least twenty-five feet
broad. As the eye was barely out of water, and *' showed like a
large, deep hole," he calculates that the entire length of the head
must have exceeded fifty feet, as the portion seen was the snout.
In considering these stories we must make no small allowance for
the well-known disposition of sailors to exaggerate, yet from the
numerour and apparently well attested statements of so-called eye-
witnesses, it is not unreasonable to suppose that there are ^are speci-
mens of ocean monsters which only occasionally shv,w themselves
upon the surface of the deep. We know that for a long time natur-
alists doubted the existence of such animals as the hippopotamus and
\\iQ ^orrilla. Since explorations iu Cent^iii Africfi b&ve reve^l^d tlj?
^mmmm
MYSTERIES OP THE DEEP SEA.
83
;2 time natur-
existence of at least one of these creatures, and thereby proved a fact
which was long looked upon as idle tradition, who can say that there
are not as great monsters in the deep as those which are described in
numerous legends?
BATTLE WITH THR OCTOPUS.
Jules Verne has orivAn no a »ry.twi.,,.4;..ii.. i-^^ . ...
Lttifl w.fh ,.„ «»f „ :„ u: . gj.g^^ ^^^^,^ "Tw<>nty Thousand Leagues
battl
Under the Sea." ^He r-lat.es
that the horrid cioature attacked
a ves-
im mil sm^ one of t^ iii-rw m JtH ,i)o«8ter tentacles, by wbiojj l,e
84
SEA AND LAND.
was raised high in the air, and held suspended ^^'l^'K^'l^f'^^^'l
Zould-be rescuers with its other «even mighty arms. The battle raged
Lously for a considerable time and the dreadful ^^eature ^ m
vanquished until the man who had been seized was nearly killed, and
the frightful animal had six of its tentacles severed.
CHAPTER Vin.
THE SEA-SERPENT.
I -,•*;„ onfHfi fish whether true or no«, nat-
Tf the sea, most prominent of >vhich is the trad.t.onal se«-
T®r r!;nt I Jy traditional, because, though thousands declare
• . ^eatd s^L have testified to having seen it, yet sc.ence
rra:;;Hraveritah.,.t,.nd.^^^^^^^
TuceThe evidence u;on which those who c.ahn that the sea-serpent .s
Isaiah alludmg to 11 ^^ prophet Amos had evidently
rdtfleZlesTh" would nottav'e be'en moved in denounci^
heard of sea-snakes or j^.^ ^ ^^y gjght in the
his enemies to ^^^'^^^^^^^^ the serpent, and he shall
Hflem ' n; probal lelt the prophet had in mind so.ne legend
bite them. I^ J^ P^° ^^^^ Egyptian sea-serpent, which, ac
of a voracious beast like tne great SJ^ • f Ptolemy
,boarding him at.thepubhc cp^t. 'f^J'^^^^''^^^^^^ i„ the .ixteenih
preye.l "P™'*"" ""'r^'TSr'regarding these nautical ph.-
iriiro:?::^r:irv;^tTr;erfnd^
/)f attention.
ttirsTERiBs Of tun annp s£!a.
85
CAPTURE OF A SEA -SERPENT.
In 1629 Thoniad Johnson, one of the earliest naturalists, tells
of a sea-snake stranded in the shoal water off Sandwich, where it
was captured by two fisherman. It was fifty feet long and of a red.
color, and its captors killed it, ate its flesh and stuffed its skin.
In 1639 we find the sea-serpei. paying its first recorded visit to
the shores of New England. It was seen by some Englishmen and
Indians lying coiled upon a rock at Cape Ann. The Englishmen
wanted to shoot it, but the Indians told them that if their shots did
not kill it instantly it would attack and destroy the boat, whereupon
they wisely let it alone. This story is told by a traveler named
Jaaselyn, who did not himself see the monster, but who was told of
its appearance. In 1687 a sea-snake was seen at Dramoflordan, Nor-
way. In 1720 one came into a creek near Koppenwig, and the fol-
lowing year one was found dead between the rocks at Amudevaagen,
in Nordfiord, also in Norway. These mere mentions are simply
noteworthy as localizing the creature. Such, also, is a statement
founded on the evidence of a broad-sheet, or poster, printed in 1704,
thatan immense dead serpent was washed ashore at Spitalfields, and
was put on exhibition there, exciting much public curiosity.
CIRCUMSTANTIAL ACCOUNTS OF SEA- SERPENTS.
We now come to circumstantial accounts of the appearance of this
remarkable phenomenon. Hans Egidius, a missionary to Greenland
in 1734, describes a monster seen in 64° north latitude, which
was ** of so huge a size that, coming out of the water, its head
reached as high as the mainmast, its body was as bulky as the ship
and three or four times as large." The detailed description of this
I animal gives the idea of an enormous saurian rather than that of a
[snake; indeed, one is greatly confused, in going over these many
accounts, by the fact that several very dijffereut creature" seem to be
[described.
Bishop Pontroppidan, in his "Natural History of Foi-way," cer-
Itainly mentions several different monsters. Of one of these, the
[kraken, which later investigation has identified with the cu'ctle-fish, we
shall not take space to give accounts here. The good bishop is in-
clined to he crednlmifl. hnf wa An nni- i-hinh-
inUCi;
importance to the fact that the concurrent testimony of navigators for
[jenturies had demonstrated the existence of sea-monsters in the
iforthern ocean. One of the instances which he records was attested
86
SKA AKb LAND.
by an officer of his ucquuintance, Captain DeFerry. comman4er of
the old Castle of Bergen, and confirmed by affidavits of his crew^ The
length of this monster vva. declared to be about six hi, dredfc.t-
obviously an exajrgoration - and it. back was .id to resemble a row
of hogsheads floating inline at some dist mce from each other The
crew pursued this animal ani wounded it. but it escaped further mjmy
by diving to the bottom. This was in 1746. In 1757, one Cai/ .
Joseph Kent saw a sea-serpent in Broad (Penobscot) bay. Its length
he estimated at one hundred and twenty feet. Th.s creature was
seen in 1778 in the same locality by Eleazar Crabtree, who memu.ns
that many others have seen it there alse, and again in 1780 by Capt.
Geo. Little. Commodore E. Preble also saw a sea-serpent off the
MAGNUS' SEA-SERPENT-FROM A DRAWING IN THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY.
New England coast in 1779. He estimates its length at one hundred
and fifty feet and its head as the size of a barrel. Captain Little's
serpent was much smaller, being not more than fifty or sixty feet in
length and its diameter about fifteen inches. In July, 1802, the Kev.
Abraham Gumming testified that he saw a sea-serpent again in Pen-
obscot bay, and he states in his account that within eighteen years six
distinct appearances of the creature have been recorded. In 1809 he
gives an account of seeing the creature again. Both of his statements
are fully attested by other witnesses. ^ ^
It may be remarked that the favorite haunts of the sc-a-Heri)eut .or
move than two centuries have been the bays of New England and
>^osQ of Norway. If one of the creatures could only be marked
MT8TFRUS& OF THE DEEP SEA
87
in some way, so that it could be known whether they made annual
or biP'Mial trips between these localities, science would be duly
grateful.
About the opening of the present century the scientific importance
of these appeanmces began to be recognized. In 1808 wo find a
report made to the Wernerian Society of England, by the Rev. Mr.
MacLean, of a sea-serpent which appeared off the coast of Coll. He
described it vm having a broad head, a somewhat smaller neck, below
which the body widened, then tapered to the tail. It seemed to move
by undulation, up and down, and to be about seventy or eighty feet
long. This creature was seen by the crews of thirteen fiyhing boats,
who were greatly terrified, expecting that it would attack them,
so near s' ns it at hand. But it drew away from them and gradually
sunk from si^ht. It may be here noted that this mon^^or, enormous
and fear-inspiring as it is, has no affinity with sur and storm-
tossed seas. Its appearance is never recorded except in still water,
and on t! least agitation of the surface by wind or otherwise it
instantly retires to the depths below.
8EA-8ERPENT8 IN0REA8INQ.
Were the sea-serpent wholly a myth we would not expect that the
increase in the number of observers, and also of the habit of careful
observat on characteristic of our own century ,would be attended by
an inci eiisse of its appearances. But such has certainly been the case.
"We have hud during the last seventy-five years at least one-third as
many well-attested instances in which the sea-serpent has been seen,
not by single observers usually, but by numbers of persons with leis-
lure to take full and accurate observations.
A sea-seipent was seen outside the harbor of Gloucester, Mass., in
[June, IS15, which seems to have lingered on the New England coast,
[for it V s seen there frequently during the year following. In the
[month of August, 1817, a great snake near Gloucester was seen by
I so many persons, fishermen and others, that the Linnean society of
INew England took the ma^*er in hand and took down the testimony
[of a lumber of reliable witnesses on oa h. Sometimes the serpent
[was in sight from an hour and a half i > two hours, lying in the still
[water of the harbor. One witness deposed as to its rapid movement
• ■•^ 4-^*^ M^VA ««tV» «
Jll ilTJ l;-l'JX.tZ^llV TT etc
linutes. Another described its head as shaped like that of a rattle-
anake, but as large as that of a horse. Some had approached within
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88
6fiA AJjl) LAlffi.
MA
forty or fifty yards of it, and found it to be of a dark color above and
light below. Its length was variously estimated at from forty to
eighty feet. Finally , the Hon. Lonson Nash, the magistrate before
whom the testimony had been taken, himself made oath that August
14, 1817, he saw the strange animal both with eye and spy-glass;
that it was about seventy feet long, its color black, and its mot'on
vertical.
PR0CF8 OF THE SERPENT MULTIPLIED-
In August, 1818, the sea-serpent was again seen frequently, both
near Gloucester and in the vicinity of Nahant. Great multitudes of
spectators assembled to watch it as it moved swiftly through the
water, holding its head high above the surface. In June, July and
August of the following year it again returned to this locality, and
sworn testimonials of its appearance from such persons as Mr. James
Prince, marshal of the district ; the Rev. C. Finch, chaplain in the
United States Navy, and many captains and oflScers were presented in
the Boston papers of that date. Its subsequent appearances on the
New England coast may be briefly summed up, as follows: Off
Swampscott in 1820; again at Nahant in 1826; near Kennebunk,
Me., in 1830, and in 1833 off Nahant again ; in 1849 near Swampscott
again, and no more until 1875 and 1877, when its frequent appearance in
its favorite haunt near Nahant and at other points gives us, in the opin-
ion of the Rev. J. G. Wood, who pursues eagerly the trail of this «* ser-
pent-snake" through the valuable pages of the Atlantic Monthly, the
most valuable and accurate testimony offered in the whole volume of
sea-serpent lore. The testimony was very carefully taken, a paper
containing thirty-four questions concerning the animal, its appearance,
size, place, when seen, etc., being sent out by the Boston Society of
Natural History, to be filled up by the persons claiming to have seen
his snakeship. It was also seen by persons off the New Jersey coast,
and the remarkable uniformity of detailed description in the different
accounts not only shows that the creature seen was the same, but pre-
clude the suspicion that imagination may have constructed a sea-
serpent out of a string of buoys or amass of sea-weed, as is often
alleged.
EFFORTS OF NATURALISTS TO PROVE ITS EXISTENCE.
Of appearances seen elsewhere durinsr the wast fortv vears one or
— «... i ./ ,' " —
two deserve mention. In 1840 Dr. Hooker, assistant surgeon of
Captain Ross* Arctic expedition, sent to Dr. Brewster's Journal of
!<V8fEftlE8 Ot tllfi bfiE^ fitJA.
89
Science an account of an enormous serpent seen by him on the
Airoricun coast. He describes it as nearly one hundred feet lono-
and as showing the line of humps on its back so often noticed In
1845, at the request of the English Society of Natural History, the
Kev. P. Deinboll, a Norwegian minister, undertook to investicmte thip
monster in its habitat in the northern ocean. He received and
recorded the testimony of a large number of persons who had seen
THE SEA-SERPENT OF ANCIENT LEGEKO.
the creature at various times. In only one instance was it seen dur-
ing hat year, July 28, in Ronsdale fiord. It is a curious fact that
most of these Norwegian stories agree in giving the serpent a mane,
which ,s not noted on the New England phenomenon. Thi« ma^
nave been however, only the effect of spray on its ridged back. In
1848 a captam and three officers on a British man-of-war on the coast
of^Nova Scotia, saw an eighty-foot serpent, and sent their gworn
90
SKA AND LAND.
afSdavits to that effect to the Zoological Society of London. August
6, 1849, Captain Mcluhae of the British navy, while at anchor in lati-
tude 20° 44' south, and longitude 9° 22' east, saw a creatme with a
head like asnake,iaisod some distance above the water, and a body ap-
parently sixty feet long, pass under the ice quuiter of his ship. He made
a sketch of the head of the animal, which hears a remarkable likeness
to that made by Mr. F. W. Lawrence of Stockbridge, Mass., of the
serpent of 1875. Captain Mclnhae sent a carefully detailed account
of the creature he had seen to the British Zoological Society, which
gave rise to much discussion in that body, and Professor Owen delivered
a long speech to prove that no such thing as a sea-serpent ever existed,
and that the object seen by Captain Mclnhae was probably a seal borne
southward on a submarine iceberg, thus causing the eddy supposed to
be occasioned by a long body under the water. The Captain replied
to this speech by a letter, showing how impossible it was for hiintobe
deluded in the matter, but probably this letter produced little impres-
sion upon the preconceived opinion of the wise men of the society.
Leconturier, who has given much attention to traditions respect-
ing the sea-serpent, says that everywhere in Scandinavia there is an
implicit belief in the serpent's existence. Scandinavian writers, he
says, attribute to it a length of six hundred feet, having a head closely
resembling that of the horse, black eyes and a long mane of a lig^^t
gray color. According to them it is only met with in the ocean,
where it suddenly rears itself up to the height of a ship's mast, giving
vent to such a horrid hissing noise that can only be compared to the
roar of the tempest.
A SEA-SERPENT SIX HUNDRED FEET LONG.
Hans Egidius relates, that on his second voyage to Greenland in
the month of July, he descried a sea-serpent so near that he was
afforded a perfect sight of it. He affirms that the animal reared its
head to a distance of thirty or more feet out of the water, and that it
ejected volumes of water through a single vent placed at the summit
of its long-pointed muzzle. Instead of fins the monstei* had two
immense ears, comparable to those of an elephant, which it agitated
like wings to keep the upper portion of its body above the surface.
After sporting for some time on the waves, the gigantic animal dived
by flinging itself backward and so exposed several successive folds of
its body, which were covered with scales.
There appeared iu the United /Service Journal of August, 1819, a
01
8CA 8BRPKNT OF HANS EGIDIUS.
92
SEA AND LANS.
letter writtdU by iin eye-witness of the great sea-serpent off the coast
of Nahant, which contained, among other statements, the following :
**I had with me an excellent telescope. When I reached the strand
I found many persons assembled, and soon afterward I saw appear
at a short distance from the shore, an animal whose body formed a
series of blackish curves, of which I counted thirteen ; other persons
estimated the number at fifteen. The monster passed thrice at a
moderate speed, traversing the bay, whose waters writhed in foam
under its huge bulk. We could easily calculate that its length could
not be less than fifty or sixty feet. « • • This at least I can
affirm , without presuming to say to what species belongs the animal
which I have just seen, that, at least, it was neither a whale nor
cachalot, nor any strong souffleur, nor any other enormous cetacean.
None of those gigantic animals have such an undulating back."
A SEA-SERPENT RESEMBLrNQ A CHAIN OF HOGSHEADS.
Tn addition to this letter describing %\^e sea-serpent, there followed
the statement of a sea-captain made in the form of a deposition before
the officials of Essex County, Massachusetts. It read as follows :
" I, the undersigned, Gresham Bennett, second master, declare
that on the 6th of June at 7 a. m., while navigating on board the sloop
Concordy on her way from New York to Salem, the vessel being about
fifteen miles from Race Point, in sight of Cape St. Anne, I heard the
helmsman cry out and call me, saying that there was something close
to the ship well worth looking at. I ran immediately to the side
he pointed ouc and saw a serpent of enormous magnitude float-
ing on the water. Its head rose about seven feet above the surface;
the weather was clear and the sea calm. The color of the animal in all
its visible parts was black, and the skin appeared smooth and
free from scales. Its head was about as Icngas that of a horse, but
was the perfect head of a serpent, terminating on the upper part in a
flattened surface. We could not distinguish its eyes. I saw it clearly
from seven to eight minutes; it swam in the same direction as the
sloop and nearly as quickly. Its back consisted of humps or rings
the size of a large barrel, separated by intervals of about three feet.
These rings appeared fixed and resembled a chain of hogsheads fastened
together ; the tail was beneath the water. The part of the animal
which I actually saw measured about fifteen feet in length ; the move-
ment of its rings seemed undulatory."
MYSTERIES Or THE DEEP SEA.
93
CAPTAIN HARRINGTON'S MONSTER SEA-SERPENT
Mangin says that in 1857 the question of the ' .rpent was
agan. brought before the world by an English seaman of recognized
abihty, Captani Harrington, commanding the ship Caatilim. There
ensued in the scientific journals and societies, especially in London a
very animated discussion, but one of novel character, in which eveiV-
body took a side for or against the great sea-serpent ; only its oppo-
nents, instead of denying purely and simply its existence, maintained
that what had been taken for an animal was nothing else than an
enormous vegetable wai^.
Captain Harrington declared that he saw the serpent quite distinctly,
and described it as having a monstrous head shaped like a barrel
whose greatest diameter was between two and three feet. On the
apex of the head was a wrinkled crest. For nearly one hundred feet
about the animal the sea was agitated and discolored, so that his first
impression he says, was that his ship had gotten into what sailors
call broken water," and which is attributed to some volcanic in-
fluence. Closer examination, however, convinced him that be-
fore his eyes was a living creature of extraordinary length, appar-
ently directing its slow course toward the land. At the time his ship
was sailing too swiftly f.r him to measure the animal's dimensions*,
but accoidmo: to such calculations as he was able to make, it appeared
to be more than two hundred feet long. .«! am convinced,'' says
Captain Harnngton, - that this animal belonged to the serpent spe-
cies;itwasof a sombre color and covered with white spots." In
concluding his narrative to the Admiralty, the Captain writes : - As
a seaman, I could not be deceived, and I should be as capable of mis-
taking an eel for a whale, as-ialg* or any other marine production for
a living animal. If it had been some dkance off I should have thought
myself mistaken, but Isaw it pass within twenty yards of my vessel. A
score of persons saw it as well as myself, and my two officers, and I
can assure you that I raw it as distinctly as I see at this moment the
jet of gas in whose light I write to you this description."
OAPTAIN ROBERTS' SEA-SERPENT.
all . ^''tr^ "^ *^' '''^'^'""" ^^ ^ ^^^'^"^^^ sea-seipent seems to be
almost endless and of a trustworthy character, but it is a striking fact
;■" ;— " -f nutuiscover it so liequently in latter years as they did
formerly, while those who continue to doubt its reality construe into
«aflrK»r»0nttbftt8ii|Io«,bei,^ less.mclmed to superstition, mid 03;
94
SEA AND LAND.
knowledge of natural history being far greater than in previous years,
they are not so given to deception and therefore much less frequently
see in the biUows or floating vegetation the monsters we so like to
read about. But occasionally we still find confirmation of the stories
about the sea-serpent, a very interesting one being related of how it
was distinctly seen as recent as August 5, 1885, which I may repeat
here, as follows:
Captain Roberts, of the ship Emblem, after putting into the har-
bor of Queenstown, August 31, made his report in which, among other
things, he says : *« I was walking on the poop deck at ten o'clock on
the morning of the 5th, the wind being light and" the sea as smooth
as I ever saw it. Suddenly I heard the mate shout, 'Good Heavens !
Captain, what can that be?' at the same moment pointing to a long
object lying motionless on the surface of the water some yards ahead
on the starboard side. The vessel was moving very slowly, scarcely
four knots an hour, so that we had ample time and an excellent oppor-
tunity to view the object. It remained motionless until we ran almost
upon it, and until the wash of the vessel disturbed it, when the mon-
ster, for such it proved to be, raised its head, as big as that of a
calf's, and gazed fixedly at the ship as if critically sui-veying it, exhibit-
ing more of curiosity than anger. As we fairly skirted it the crea-
ture became excited and, opening its horrid mouth, disclosed two fangs
apparently fourinchs in length. The body was extended so near the
surface and we bi-u(=hed by it so very close, that the entire crew of
twenty-one being called had time and opportunity to view it perfectly.
The carpenter suggested that we should harpoon the monster, but the
crew objected, and I must confess that i shared their fears, lest the
mad animal might plunge against the ship's side and do it serious in-
jury. The length of the creature, which I could estimate with con-
siderable accuracy as it lay along the ship's length as we passed, was
about sixty feet."
The Captain's statement was confirmed by Mr. Fletcher, chief
mate, and also by all the crew, who added that the apparent girth of
the serpent was seven feet near the head, and somewhat greater about
the middle. The point of the tail was not visible, as it seemed to curl
downward, the head, however, was seen perfectly, and it was the head
of a serpent, rather long, like those of the non-poisonous species, but
without mane, rings, or other embellishments frequently 4esQribe(| a^
|?eiD|f ootice»bIe on otbei' sett-serperjts, ^
JIVSTERIES OF THE DEEP 8BA. j,j
A 8E* PRODUCT WMIOH RE8EMBLM A «,p„T.
We have now to ca!l attention to a peculiar Dmrt„rH„n „» *i,
which so admirablv oounterfrit. „ P"""""^ pioduction of the sea
thousands have be™ deered a^d llZ7 T"'"" ^'-^'rpent that
had seen a ve,.it„,„e ^^::::^:z^:::^::!X^
.akio^ voyage in'hlffa" h p P^ ^^'wuZ'," 'V'? "■'^
j,. cul™ weather I saw at a certain di^^rso-nli:" "ita'"'
balancing itse f on the wjivps .m^ ,..k,vi , ° exiraoiamary,
immeasurable length Wth our ,! '^^"""^ '" ^ '"' ""™"' °*
tiuguish an enorrus hid aTd atcroT nT T' P'^'-'y "-
with a u.ane, which alternU^; :p;:are ^ "ra^peTrrihif
appearance was ikewise sppn hv niil. "•''appeared, ihis
.atit.usthe.egrerserL'^:::"^-^:^^^^^^^^^^^
f— :';:irn.v::drfr,rhot:r'' '°"T-"'r •"™'^'
attentively. The monster dW nit se"m to hT.- / ?';'"!"' *™
approach At length they arri::d ^uTe Is'; to ttetd'" ^
x;^ x;rrrSerjhrtr """f--*"^
its head and un'fold its'e: toistlh IdXtr't 7''"
:rz,:L7f:: r ti- '°"-WtCo^tbrn^„ r
remained suspended. But it was so cover J '^^'' '" '°°« "° "
eve.y species that it was no;^:::,rm::;mV;?d Ipl^ra!::.^^
at the d,scovery that this terrible animal was neither more „oXs
than a monstrous alg<e, upwards of one hundred feet lonl and four
ZlT'^T'"'"'^ .oot at a distance had reprel ted' .^ h ^S
semblaterw: """■"""'-"'■^ '» '' "^ the wavl had given ^^
:e;rd its"e:ttti:it.-4't;-nr= ■^""- "•• '^« ^-
»6
dered s
uiiuule
remaiiu
pent of
Thee
pr.^babi
admuiiiH
this phe
and exp(
eea-serpi
ill numb
less rapi(
three yet
its numb
and its n
iippearan
ou the 8u
of the sei
weight. ]
their dea(
bones of
has been
of elephai
bone.s of (
deer are e
of Mnall I
a trace is (
ries of sci
some curi(
' found. Ii
washed asl
be fifty-sij
of the skel
and scienti
original bo(
Cape Ann,
of humps,
which is im
7s
MYSTEKIES Or THE DEEP SEA. 97
dered so justifiable by the appearance „f the object, that if I had bce„
unaoe to d.spatch the boat at the „,„™e„t I did, I should "ve
;:r:;th:"!e;;:^. '"* "■ ''- '''-'^"•'" "■- ^ "«" - '"« ii^- -
Too ""'"" r," """"'NO THERE ,S 8U0H A CREATURE.
prtabnuTof's:; *''-«7*.-"""r throws ,o,„e doubt on the
p .babil y of sea-serpents having been so frequently seen besides
ad,non,»hn,g u. to be careful how we accept Ltimony c^cernt
th.s phenomenal monster. There are. besides Mr. Sn,ith-s sul" tb s
and expeneuco, other grounds for doubting the existcn "e of a fn ' '?,!
sea-scrp,.„t. It is claimed that if such a Creature e "s s i nSx
;:rr;;;^d;;rnrwtL:ricr:rbtht"':rTr^
and Its nature It is the fact of this doubt, caused by its infreouent
appearance, which gives place to the idea of individuafde u on Bu
on the s„pp„».,.„,. that numbers may exist in the u„ xp o"ed dep^L
veighV ft is : oTi ""^tr ':'™""'' -"-J"".' "- objertio,: lots
leh- did b „1 T" V',"»^« '"* "'■•'♦"ge animals in existence
then dead bodies or bones would be more frequently found But the
of ele ,h° ,t must at ^"''"'' ""■""""■ "' '"» «-"*"« '- Numbers
de7r . ever fom d H "'"Vr'"™' '''"'• ^° ^'"^'-"ff boms of the
, n ! ! ' *''™''' *''*'« »'■« "''e'l yearly; and of the score,
. t ..ce „ ever found ,n our woods. It is one of the unsolved n.ys e
■lesof science how wild creatures dispo-e of their de»H R M
z:rriz~r'""''^ ^-^^^^^^^^^^^
«"l ed a ' , e!!, I '" " ^^''^''^ <'-»"'P<'-<i «'"ditio„ was
wa,-l,ed ashoie on Stronsay, one of the Orkney Isles. It was said t„
Of ^"hl r ,':;"f, •"'"' '-"^'^^ "-" "■ <^i--'-ence ' Zell
o the skeleton of this creature are now in the Edinbur<.h museum
: iTbX.^^LZrf t;r "''"l^""^^"'"--
OapeA„n.Ma.,s Ittrtt;-'etl L i ""^'"'-* ""' ''"'"''"«
of humos fortv i„"' 'V'"^" "«' '""g' "nd on Us back was aseries
or numps, forty in number, and the spinal column bent vertieallv
which is^impossible to the common snake. There seems 1 good rell
98
bEA AND LAND.
i
Bon to doubt that, this was a younjr sea-serpent. In 1860 a dead ser-
pent, sixteen fee, seven inches long, was washed ashore on the coast
of the Ikutuudas. No sclentiHc person seeing it, no description of its
Btructui'o was nMide.
The exaggerated size accredited to most specimens of the sea-sor-
pent c '.stsTdoubt upon the accounts given of them, it may be admit-
ted ; but it does not prove these accounts false. There are abnormal
developments in all species of created creatures. Men are found
eight feet high sometimes, and a Jumbo appears occasionally even
among elephants. Sperm whales have been seen seventy-one feet
long, and walruses thirty-five feet. There is hardly a species of ani-
mafwhich does not occasionally show an individual of unusual size.
CHAPTER IX.
THE DEVIL-FISH AND ITS INFERNAL KIN.
IHE octopus, or polypus, is dreadful enough in its appearance
to suggest a name indicative of its horrid aspect, and the word
meaning eight-armed clearly points it out as a most formida-
ble creature. But we are acquainted with another animal of
the deep sea, which, if possible, is more monstrously horrible than the
polypus, to which some discriminating naturalist has given the name
devil-fish or sea devil, and certainly a more suitable' appellation could
not be applied; sailors, however, generally call it «* sea-bat." Like a
grisly spectre, it is dreadful only in appearance, having neither the
power nor disposition to do great harm. It belongs to the skate fam-
ily, but with the exception of being broad and flat it hardly resembles
that genus, bearing quite as close resemblance to the sting-ray. A
general description gives it eight long arms attached to a broad, flat
body, in the center of whicti are its leering eyes and cavernous mouth,
around which are several horny spines. Some singular stories are
told of this monster, a few of which I must relate in order to give an
idea of its habits, size and immense strength.
Fishers ai-ound Tampa Bay, Florida, sometimes meet with the devil-
fish while fishing for the tarpon, which is itself a most difficult erea-
X ^- land. A ffentlsman while recreating in the South, thus de-
cribes his experience with one of these satanic monsters.
♦♦ Next to tarpon fishing, in point of excitement, comes the chase
MYBTEII1K8 or THE DEEP SEA. , ff
w,ll find h.,„, a„d .f they do no, remind you of Lir namesake tC
I . m ,„,staken. They look like greu, bais. and some call them he
ba -fish You can form some idea of how they look if you in.aRine a
bat overboard measuring, say. twenty feet across from t^ to tip! with
a ta,l perhaps ten feet long, shaped like a cowboy's whip. G ve U
two h„,„l,ko clampers at the head, and you have the seaMjevi in aU i^
glory. Green hand, often strike them, not knowing what they a e
an are generally jerked overboard for their pains, of have to cTtTh^
In e S.nne years ago one appeared in a harbor where severd schoon-
one of the h»l before, saw them playing around in the harbor and
bought ,t would be a good joke to spear one. So they took a lilht
krif and apa,r of old whale harpoons and ropes that belonged to
he schooner and started out, and were joined by the other boats
U r, ; w"r "l''" """^ «"' .iongsldeof aseLat, and a muser
.t as, oo When they struck it you would have thought the whole
botton, had been h,t, and a second later that boat was ."ushin- up the
harbor at a rate she never went before. It was a blind lead, though
^^'tJ^tuTT" "■'"'"'""^ '''■'^' around s,;!^: I;
that she h..lf filled, and one man was tumbled overboard. Up the
channel they went, some yelling for the other boat and others to cut
he hue as it was evident that she would fill in a moment but
happened that the only man who had a knife had been Topped ove
board, and as they could not get the line untied they had uMuZ
Theysaul afterward they were about to jump overboard and let evefr
thn^go when the fish changed its course and headed rghtforol
of II e «»1 ooners. They bad to jump then, anyhow, and as they weni
overboard, the fish dived under the vessel and the skiff struck her side
with a crash , and was knocked all to nieces The .1^ 1,1 I \u
found out later, to which the -ine waTIl I's .ren''t':ff 'Jth I^
fish The men were picked up. and two days later the dCfish
mrWh'arr ■""■•" ''^-'-" ^- --."anri't"::^
V" ^ ^ ,'-'^"''^'*^'*T'-AWONT'8EX0ITIN0 ADVENTURE.
jTZ^^^Il-'s'"' "'™"f'' 'P""- '»-»-«">. where thev are
the Un ted StXrw """"".S »" ""' '"rf'oe. Lieutenant Lamont. of
.oaSr:rwtrs'ur :^uri:inttr5r^-
100
SEA AND LAND.
The Lieutenant's attention was called to a crowd which he saw as-
sembled on the beach at Kingston, intently gazing out at sea. Closer
examination revealed to his astonished gaze an animate object flopping
on the surface ; so large did it appear that he could not make out
what it was, but being of an adventurous disposition he ordered the
boats lowered, and with several men started for the monster.
As it lay less than one hundred yards from his ship he soon came
up with it, and one of the men threw a harpoon into its body, but the
moment it was struck the monster, which he now perceived was a
LIEUT. LAMONl-'S ADVENTURE WITH A DliVIL-FISH.
sea-dcvil, made off at the most amazing speed, drawing the boat with
equal velocity after it. As it swam around, the other boats came up
and harpoon after harpoon was discharged into its body without giv-
ing it any fatal wounds or impairing its strength. Thus the battle
continued until the boats were drawn more than ten miles out at sea.
At length, however, as night was coming on, the impish fish struggled
with greatly increased violence and broke loose, carrying with it a
dozen harpoons.
A short time after this interesting event, the Lieutenant had an-
other adventure with a larger devil-fish than the first one encountered,
and in the same harbor Ho nHanh^^A •*. • i.i-
rapidly did tl,e fish carrv "', ^11 U u" """* ""*"""'' *"" '"
possible for the otbe, bill t^ ! ?. •"'* ""'<"■ ""»' " ™' "»■
Tank to the bolon^I.X 1 e": •? Z '* ""'"l'T"""" •™''' "
gathered arou„d. and every mrie^tl,;! ^t /'"' T'' ""•"'' """
but in v„i„. After the LpTe!, I't , 'l Lu'rTb • T'"" "'"
rose again to the surface, wheh it ™ disltoh Jb f ™ ^ ■"""''""■
halls When brought ashore it llsurXe: feeli^ wTdTb "" d' t
mouth two and one-h-ilf f««f i .« 'tfeen leet m width, and its
.hi,eits.eight;::r,::::\i:frr^^^^^^^^
was required to drag it. "i""iea sirength of forty men
Hon. Richard Hill describes a devil-fish whioh ],« u
drew the boat he was in so rm)idlv thlf harpooned that
feet higher than the boa wMiriL ^ . '^^''^' ''"'' '^''"^ '"^^''^^
onojundred feet, xae .uth^ trr;'::^;:;;''::^;^^
en«;M^lci'l;ir"tf '^ '""' '""* """"■ ""' -»•» --»
the physical pec^hriC'nd habiC'thrrvT^ b"' '.T"^""" "'
several adventures he h is had wtb !i ^""'-fi^t, and also relates
describes an attack o, ce rade '„ o e „f t\e! "'" f """"'"• «"
was harpooned and nmde fit to^br!! f T "™'""-<''' "' "W^h it
it. strci^th that thrboa rdesp rt oTffor„'/"V" '■•"' "^
rowers, were towed rapidly out to .!..?* "^™"' "''"'«
-.^...er the <^^<>iJ ::i:'^ij;!j:'o :::'^::'z
OFF-8HOOT8 OF SATAN.
If the devi'.fish is the true .atanic representative of fho ^
%'
m
St! A AND LAND.
have about them the verv inspiration of horror. Foremost among
these children, or near kin of the devil-fish, is the sea-frog or angler,
a monstrosity of frightful aspect and voracious disposition. In size
it equals the porpoise, but in shape it equals the — devil himself.
More than one-half the fish is head, and such a head I The eyes are
near the top, and have a dreadful wicked look in them. The mouth,
however, is its most repulsive feature, extending, as it does, far
beyond the width of its body, and with an armament of teeth more
terrible than the shark. When distended, the mouth is capacious
enou«rh to take in an animal its own size, while the jaws, palate,
tongSe and fauces are fairly lined with hooked but mobile teeth,
THE ANGLER, OR FROG -FISH.
from which no prey, when once caught, can possibly escape. All
over the body are small fleshy excrescences which look hke
horrid worms that had fastened their heads into the fish's body.
From the nose grows a feeler that terminates in a palm-shaped
excrescence of a metallic lustre, which it uses as a bait to attract its
prey Burrowing in the mud until only a small portion of its head
is visible, the frog-fish angles with its long feeler, playing it so as
to attract the attention of small fishes, which rush toward the bait
expecting a sweet morsel, only to be grabbed by the ferocious jaws
;« wnitincr- Tt is this queer habit which has given the fish its very
appropriate name, the angler.
The sea-frog, or angler, can live for a long time out of water,
and not infrequently makes excursions on dry land in quest of large
MYSTERIES OF THE BEEP SEA.
103
game. A gentleman trav<.' , on the Mediterranean coast once
came upou a sea-frog that iu. caught and was devouring a fox.
GENUINE SEA -SERPENTS.
The Stomias-Boa, though undoubtedly a fish, is apparently a very
close connecting link between an eel and a snake, as the accon.panv-
ing illustration would alone serve to prove. The name is derived from
the tentacular appendages corresponding with feet and which it uses as
such when moving on the bottom. Its size is never great, fortunately
else, as its appearance indicates, it would undoubtedly be a most fori
midable creature. Nature has placed a gracefully beautiful body on
THE STOMIAS BOA, OR SERPENT- FISH.
the stomias but has given it a villainous head; the terminal of itstail,
however, is wondrous, very closely resembling a water lilv just
openmg. j j "
Another fish, called by naturalists OpUmra (serpent-eater) and
by sailors a sea-serpent, is a wonderful animal, which attains a length
of s.x feet and the thickness of a man's arm. Its body is brown on
he upper and silvery white on the lower parts, and has but two fins,
the dorsal extending it. entire length and the voi.tral more than half
Its length. The head is more pointed than a serpent's and its mouth
Ls we 1 suppl.ed with teeth, while the body is beautifully mottled. Al-
toffether it laau uncommonly handsome animal.
104
SEA AND LAND.
If '5
EELS THAT WERE FED ON HUMAN FLESH.
Living in the Mediterranean with the two species just named, is the
Murcena, another species of the eel, which the Bomans esteemed
above all other delicacies. They were bred in large ponds made for the
purpose, so connected with the sea that fresh water was always sup-
plied them. For a time all Eome became actually crazy over these
lish. At one of Julius CiBsar's banquets celebrating a great victory,
he distributed six thousand of these eels to his oflScers and friends.
The craze became so great that some one finally suggested that the
mursenas should be fed on human flesh in order to render them more
tender and succulent, whereupon everybody seized upon the idea, and
the great fish ponds were kept supplied with fresh bodies of slaves
who were daily throv/n in alive to feed the voracious eels. It is re-
lated that a certain Vedius PoUio, a rich patrician who owned large
numbers of slaves, acquired great reputation by the liberal manner
in which he gave his slaves to feed the ponds. The evil became so
great that Augustus recognized the importance of bringing the people
back to their senses, and to this end he acceptel an invitation to dine
with J*ollio, knowing full well that an opportunity would be offered
whereby he could impress upon his host the evil of this human sacri-
fice. The occasion came soon enough, for a man who was serving
them accidentally let fall a crystal goblet, whereat Pollio was so
enraged that he immediately ordered the slave to be thrown to the
fishes. Augustus interceded for the servant's life, but finding Pollio
determined, dismissed the slave himself, then ordered all the goblets
broken and the fish-ponds tilled up. Thus was the atrocious custom
forever destroyed.
Associated with the mursena as a rare gastropomical dish among the
ancients was the lamprey, which is somewhat allied to the mursena,
having the same eel-like form, and was also similar in size, both
measuring about four feet in length. Its main point of difference is
in having a mouth for suction that is provided with numerous sharp
teeth, while the tongue acts as a piston-rod. The lamprey feeds by
attaching its mouth to the largest fishes, where it gnaws the flesh or
scarifies it, and then sucks out the blood. On each side are seven
holes corresponding to gill orifices, through which the water is drawn
or expelled ; hence the German name for the fish, N~eun Augen,
«* nine-eyed."
Formerly the lamprey was esteemed a royal dish, so that the city
MrsTEKiEs o» thc obep etSA.
105
of Gloucester by an old !,„, ,vas compelled to provide ,, lamprev pie
for tl,e s„vere,g„ once „ year Henry I. is said to haveredTrZ
t" '".foer t'T'"'"""''^ "' ""^ ^"™-"» "■»'', and the death cfPoT
Lle'food "" ""*' "" """"•^ "^ g-S'"? "i"-" ""the
A FALLEN ANQEL.
As behave a prototype of satan in the sea with numerons satel-
THE ANGEL, OR MONK- FISH.
lion of th'n T:"^ '"^''"''' '"P"""' '" "'- ''"™ -e » -Prosenta.
must be a Lucifer. I refer to the Sqmtina, or an-rel-flsh It i, also
«,uently called n,onI.-fish on account of i'ts rou^nied head ^hth
=ee„,» to he enveloped |n a hood, and al,o because of a habit it ha, of
supplicatory manner,
name, for an
rolling its eyes in a kind of reverential
The
"6 x.o ^y^„ ni a luna ot reverential and supt
angel-fish is the antithesis of ^iie devil-fish only
108
SEA AND LAND.
Uglier creature ciiii scarcely be conceived. The head is disproportion-
ately large, the mouth very wide and eyes quite small. Behind each eye
is an orifice shaped like a crescent, which seems to be for no other
purpose than to increase its horrible aspect. Mangin describes it as
resembling a grotesque mask, such as a country boy might fashion
out of a hollow pumpkin.
The extraordinary appearance of this «' fallen" angel-fish is in
thorough accord with its disposition, in which respect it may again
THE PEGASUS DRAGON.
be compared with' Lucifer. It has two wings corresponding to pec-
toral fins, which not only add to its homeliness, but which are very
serviceable in propelling it rapidly through the water, and enal)ling it
to swoop down upon its prey in "true angelic fashion." There is
nothing that swims that has a more fierce and voracious disposition
than the rngel-fish, and since it grows to a length of seven or eight
feet, it is a dangerous adversary even to man.
FLYtNQ MONSTERS.
Speaking of angel-fish, leads us directly to a consideration of
flying-fish, especially since we are mentioning some of the hovr^
MYSTERIES OF THE DEEP SEA.
107
creatures which cleave the deep, and know thnt there are two or three
species of flying-fi.sh that are ugly as Caliban. The Uxocetus Voli-
taus (flying beach-sleeper) is a singular specimen of the grotesque in
nature. It takes its name fiom a habit which is ascribed to it of
coming out upon the beach to sleep. Whether it really does leave
the water for the purpose of sleeping, is not a well-established fact
but the Greeks evidently thcught so, by giving it the name by which
It IS still known. By means of its extremely large pectoral fins it i«
enabled to spring from the crest of a wave and maintain a brief
flight. They are surely the most unfortunate of God's creatures
since they are continually pursued by dolphin.^ and other predaceous
fishes, to escape which nature has given them winces to rise in air
that they may fall victims to aquatic birds. The greatest fljcrht they
THE SEA-HORSE,
ever attain is two hundred and fifty yards, and even this distance
they can make only by dashing through wave-crests to moisten their
fins.
The Pegasus Dragon, or flying horse, is another quaint species, but
since it hardly exceeds four inches in length, it does not receive the
attention which its appearance would otherwise inspire. Beneath
its snout is a mouth which is movable like that of the sturgeon or
sucker-fish. Its body, which is flattened, is as well armatured as a
knight, being fairly encased in radiated shields, while the posterior
part has somewhat the appearance of a crocodile's tail. While the
pegasus is a flying-fish, its tuberculated body and crustaceous tail give
It close kinship to the Hippocampus, or sea-horse, a singular little
animal having a prehensile tail which it uses like a hand to grasp any
108
6EA AND LAND.
object it may choose to fix itself upon. The head, especially when
dried, bears a very unique reaemblance to that of a horse, from whence
its name is derived. Among the ancients, who were given so com-
pletely to mythology, there were fabled monsters which they called
Hippo- Centaurs, half-man and half-horse. These queer creatures
were said to inhabit Thessaly, and were represented as fierce war-
riors. The idea is said to have sprung from the supposed fact that
the Thessalonians were first to ride upon horseback : but it may also
be reasonably conjectured that the sea-hoise, which abounds in the
Mediterranean, partly, at least, inspired the mythologic idea of a
duplex animal of which the horse was part
The male sea-horse is provided with pouches on its tail in which the
female deposits her eggs, and these are carried by the male until they
are hatched. They swim always in a vertical position and dart about
with such extraordinary rapidity that the eye can scarcely follow
them. The beautiful fable of Posidon driving his chariot drawn by
sea-horses through the coral halls of the deep, is no doubt derived
from the then known existence of the e strange little animals.
1 11
CHAPTER X.
BEAUTIFUL AND CURIOUS FISH.
rVING mentioned a few of the most uncouth fish that in-
habit the sea, let us turn to a contemplation of those species
.'■\^r " . which are to the ocean what the birds of paradise are to the
♦ land, for in the living infinite of the deep there are fish of
such iridescent hues that they may be well compared with the most
gorgeous plumage that nature ever invested bird with.
The mackerel family includes several species, remarkable for
their wonderful beauty, but the most splendid of them all is the King
Fish, a habitat of the Northern seas, which grows to a length of six
feet and of nearly two hundred pounds in weight. The colors of this
fish are exquisitely rich and marvelously blended. The back is of a
steel blue gradually shading to a brilliant green toward the tail and a
rich rose color on the belly. These well defined colors are variegated
by numerous oval spots, some of which are pure white and others
reflect the lustre of burnished silver, while the fins are generally ver-
ice
ISO
a
)VV
100
THE BRAimpUL AND CURIOUS.
no
8EA AND LAND.
m
I* i,i
million. This exquisite combintition is blended into indescribable
beauty when the fish darts through the water.
The John (yellow) Dory is another very botiutiful fish habiting the
shores of the Mediterranean. It is frequently called St. Peter's fish
on account of a lej^end which is related to the effect that it was from
this fish St. Peter obtained the tribute money. The superstitious de-
clare that the two spots which are on its back are the finger-marks of
the Apostle. They neglect to tell us why Peter took the fish into his
hands, and also why the haddock is identically marked.
The body of the John Dory is a deep olive, flecked with yellow.
When taken from the water, as it dries, the fish rapidly changes color
into a succession of gold, blue and white.
ANCIENT BARBARITIES PRACTICED ON THE MULLET.
The Red Mullet is delicately colored with rose tints and yellow
stripes, which change like the colors on the John Dory when taken
from the water, and in its expiring throes nothing can be more beau-
tiful than the kaleidoscopic succession of brilliant colors it under- ,
goes. The ancients esteemed its flesh so greatly that enormous sums
were paid for them. According to Pliny, Asinius Celer gave as much
as four hundred dollars for a single mullet. These fish were not only
estimated for their savory flesh, but also for the beauty of their body,
especially during their expiring moments. To gratify this morbid
cruelty, the fish were raised in large aquariums, and taken out before
guests of the rich in order that the dying fish might afford them
amusement by its agonizing death throes.
The Sea-Perch has a scaly coat of gray streaked with blue, shading
underneath to silvery white. Anotheisperch called the Enoplessus is
of a lovely silver-gray, and striped with eight narrow black bands,
while the fins are a rich yellow — a very beautiful combination. The
Apognon of the Mediterranean is even more gorgeously bedecked
than the last named, the body being of a delicate crimson on the
back, growing paler toward the belly, while the entire fish is grace-
fully dotted with black spots, while three black stripes cross it per-
pendici^larly. The LeMered Seranus has a coat of deep orange, over
which pass several brown bands. About the head there are lines of
brilliant blue, which at a distance somewhat resemble letters ; hence
^■=. name. The Spined 8eranuH is still more beautifully marked, its
back being of a deep scarlet, changing to a golden hue on its sides,
and to silver on the belly. On the head are three stripes of golden
n
Ill
112
tSA Amn I. AND.
yellow, while Ou oo>*e i .. rated by 'wo bands of bright green.
Add to this tins th*t ikve imted ith yellow flud red, and wo have hero
a fish that can 8caiv«i|y be exceeded for cxtraordinaiy beauty.
THE MARVELOUS RIBAND FISH.
We might iitlDTitr"" dozens of otiici fish of equal loveliness, but
since attempted (If --^ription can give hardly an idea of the gorgeous
coloring which they nali> (*xhibit, it were un idle vaste of space to
name them all. I cannot afford, however, to omit mention of the
Riband Fish, since it is not only phenominaliy beautiful, but also ex-
tremely rare. The body of this strange fish is shaped like a rib-
bon, being so thin that it is almost transparent, but it is the color of
burnished silver, and in the water gives off a sheen of remarkable
beauty. Its natural home is ftt the greatest depths of the sea, from
whence it is sometimes dislodged by volcanic disturbance and thrown
upon the shore.
The Rainbow and Parrot-fisl' are also species so exquisite in dainty
coloring that they have been rightfully named. The Rabbit-fish, called
by the Norwegians the Sea-rat, on account of its rat-shaped tail, is very
bea .ful, id wears a tuft or thread-like appendage on its head,
something <.e a crown; hence it is also called King-fish. In fact, we
discover i the ocean an alter ego of all tliat is on land, that coinci-
dence which marks the brotherhood of land and se.i, and the identity
that illustrates and imputes the single origin of universal life.
WARRIORS OF THE DEEP.
The piously inclined have dreamed of and conceived a millenium,
the superstitious have fortold its coming, but Nature herself has de-
clared that peace on earth is impossible. Not only has she made dif-
ferent dispositions among men whereby differences and disturbances
must become our comion lot, but she has implanted warring elements
throughout earth, sea and air, so that peace is impossible. Nowhere
else can we observe with such interest the singular warlike provisions
made by nature as in the sea. While inventive art has given to mar.
gunpowder, nature has drawn the lightning and made a store-housc
of it in many of her ocean children. How wonderful, because it ex-
hibits the care taken by her of the otherwise helpless, which would
soon become extinct but i ' the power thus mysteriously implanted.
Let us examine somu oi
^hf
The Torpedo Fish, whit '! a
ural electric battery alwa a
tr ^ several different species, is a nat-
, ri.;ed, and <. ipable of doing immense
MYSTERIES OF TUB DEEP 8EA. US
rafsohjef. Water being an excellent conductor of electr.citv the
torpedo can shock its enc uies at a surpr> ^n^ distuuce. Very fre-
quent y who,i drawing in their nets fishermen reccMVe shocks from the
torpedo transmitted to them from their Inos; so vu-lent sometimes
are these shocks that the fishermen are compelled to let go the lines
thus losing their entire hunl. Dr. Walsh was the irst one to demon-
Htmte tha the power of the torpedo was electrical, and also that it was
euflScient to kill small animals.
The electrical ed has also the power of diseharging a battory that
>s capable of produnn,^ violent shocks, sometimes attended by plunfnl
consequences, iioth the torpedo and electrical eel use their physical
im,peMie8 chiefly to catch their prey, which usually swims better than
they; Iv discharging their battery their intended prey is suddenly
para yzed and rendeicd unconscious of the fate that overtakes them.
But he e ectncity thus stored up is not only used to kill lawful prey,
for It IS also a means for attack and defense, as we shall presently see.
The electrical eel is fcmnd principally along the South American
coast and especially at the mouths of rivers debouching into the At-
lantic. ^ °
Humboldt was the first to give a precise account of this curious fish,
in which, howe„ver, he gives not his own, but the French traveler, Bon-
plaud s experience. Briefly the account is as follows :
SINGULAR MANNER IN WHICH ELECTRICAL EELS ARE OAUQHT
''In traversing the Lianas of the province of Caracas, in order to
embark a San Fernando de Apure on his voyage up the Orinoco,
M. Bonplaud stopped at Calabozo. The object of this sojourn was
to investigate the history of the gymnotus (electrical eel), great num-
bers of which are found in the neighborhood. After three days' resi-
dence in Calabozo some Indians conducted them to the Cano de Bera
a muddy and stagnant basin, but surrounded by rich vegetation!
They verem.ci. surprised when informed that it would be necessary
T I:. 1^ '^^ ^°'''' ^'""^ *^^" neighboring savannas in order
to fish for the gymnotus.
The idea of this fishing, called in the language of the country
embarboscar con caballo. (intoxicating by means of horses), is very
Odd. The word barbosco indicates the roots of the lar^nnln^o ^„ _:.
other poisonous plant, by contact with which a body of water'acqui7a
he property of killing, or, at least, of intoxicating or stupefying the
fishes. These come to the surface when they have been poisoned in
FISHING FOR ELECTRICAL EELS BY THE AID OF HORSES.
114
AIYSTKitlES OP THE DEEP SEA. i i -
lit)
thi, maaner. The horse, chasing them here and there in a marsh
has, >t seen., (he same effect on the alarmed fishes. While our hoTl^
were explainmg to us this atrange mode of fishing the7rol„ of I
and mules had arrived and theSndians had mfdo t s ^o 'V 't'tT
p,essmg the horses on all sides and forcing them into t nTZ'
The Indians, armed with long canes and harpoons nla,v,l t !„?
round the basin, some of them mounting t'he^r;': 1 '':,::
hung over the water, and by their erics, and still re bv th'i
canes, preventing the horses from coming ashore. The eeh co
used by the no.se, defended themselves by repeated di eh 'Xs of"
the;r batteries. For a long time it seemed as if they would be'^vioto
st,fl,.d by the frequency and force of the shocks, disanpeare'd unde
he water, and some of the horses, in spite of the watchTuTne s of th"
Indians, regained the bank where, overcome by the shocks tle^ had
undergone, they stre.ched themselves at their whole lencHh The
picture now presented was indescribable Gronm ^f T 3
rouuded the basin, the horses with bris'tling mZ, en ^t:.:";
u their eyes trymg to escape from the storm whik had surprised
them ; the eel,, yellow and livid, looking like great aquaiic ,e^ „ts
swimming on the surface of the water and chasing the en me
were object, at once app„lli„g and picturesque. L, less ,";:
njinu es two horses were drowned. An eel, more than five f riot
gilded under one horse, discharged its apparatus through it! „hl
extent, attacking at once the heart, the viscera and tl^ pLls o
the nerves of the animal, probably benumbing and finally Zvn!
"When the struggle had endured a quarter of an hour the m„l„.
and hoi-ses appeared less frightened, the manes became l."sste." he
ye, expressed less terror, the eels shunned instead of ",,;,:
t oin, at the same time approaching the bank .vhce they I o o.fs| ^
ken by throwing little harpoon, at them attachad ,o lo, 1 c" "d^
the haiiioon sometimes hooking two at a time, they l,oln«^ la'nd, l.J
»ean, „f ,he long cord. They were thus drawn a,lfore rthout 'in'
able to communicate any shock." ■ "re nimout iicmg
. . SrrNOINO FISH.
ti-ere is another species of fish that, though coCn^t'el^'Ilu ' ':]
116
SEA AND LAND.
weak, are armed with such a trenchant weapon that they are much
more to be dreaded than the torpedo fish or electrical eel. The Sting-
ray is the most conspicuous specimen of the si)ecies to which I refer,
and they are almost as dangerous as the man-eating shark. This fish,
which is peculiar to the Mediterranean and the Florida coast, attains
a considerable size, but hardly in proportion to its power of doing harm .
Its pectoral fins are so large that they resemble wings wide spread and
grow up close to the creature's head It has a snout somewat like a
beak that gives the fish a villainous countenance, which is by no means
relieved by two piercing black eyes that always look murderous. The
weapon with which it is so. deadly armed is the tail; this is at once
THE STING - RAY.
sword and saw, and terrible enough to appall the bravest. The tali is
armed with rows of serrated teeth which are so ragged that when the
animal strikes it not only punctures but frightfully lacerates the tlesh.
Being long and flexible, when about to attack, the sting-ray winds
almost instantly about its victim and darts its tail so rapidly that no
eye can detect the strokes it is making. Fishermen frequently become
victim^ to these attacks despite extraordinary precautions, and before
help can arrive their thighs are torn in the most frightful manner.
The sting-bull and little weaver are quite small but hardly so pow-
erless as they appear. They are common along the English coast,
MYSTERIES OF THE DEEP SEA.
117
where they lie in the sand with dorsal spine erected ready for any
emergency. If trod upon they use this weapon most effectively, and
woe to the barefoot boy who comes in contact with them .
The' lancet-fish is armed with strong and sharp-pointed spines on
each side of its- tail, which it darts into a victim like a lance. Careless
handling of this fi.sh is certain to result in a painful wound. Our
common catfish, as all smalj boys know, are not altogether harmless,
for the points of their pectoral fins are capable of inflicting lance-
like wounds which do not heal readily, being evidently poisoned.
FLOATING NETTLES,
The most wonderful of all the stinging species that inhabit the
ocean, is what sailors call the ''Portugese man-of-war," but which
scientists have named Physalia ntriculus, from the Greek, meaning
" stinging bubble." Of this strange creature, several species of
which exist, Figuier says :
*' Let us imagine a great cylindrical bladder dilated in the middle,
attenuated and rounded at its extremities, of eleven or twelve inches
in length and from one to three broad. Its appearance is glassy and
transparent; its color an imperfect purple passing to a violet, then to
an-azure blue. It is surmounted by a crest, limpid and pure as
crystal, veined with purple and violet in decreasing tints. Under the
vesicle float the fleshy filaments, waving and contorted into a spiral
form, which sometimes descend perpendicularly like so many tii reads
of celestial blue. Sailors believe that the crest which surmounts the
vesicle performs the office of a sail, and that they tell the navrijrator
how the wind blows."
When the vesicles are filled with air they are almost projected out
of the water. In order to descend it is necessary to expel the air.
The floating appendages beneath the body are of divers kinds and
serve several different purposes. Some are the organs of reproduc-
tion, others nurses, and some tentacles for feeding or grasping food ;
there are still others called Sondes by naturalists, which are^'probes
and suckers, forming offensive and defensive arms truly formidable,
for these beautiful and graceful animals, though but one remove
above plant-life, are terrible antagonists. Dutertre, the French
naturalist, relates the following :
" This galley (our physalia), however agreeable to the sight, is
most dangerous to the body, for I can assert that it is freighted with
the worst merchandise which floats on the sea. I speak as a natural-
THE PORTUGUESB MAN-OF-WAR.
118
MrsTfifttlCS Ol* tH£ t>££|> SEA.
119
i8t, and as havmg made experiments at my own personal cost. One
day when sailmg at sea in a small boat, I perceived one of these little
' galleys, and was curious to see the form of the animal ; but I had
scarcely seized it when all its fibres seemed to clasp my hand, cover-
mg It as with birdlime, and scarcely had I felt it in all its freshness
(for It IS very cold to the touch) when it seemed as if I hud plunged
my arm up to the shoulder in a cauldron of boiling water. This wa^
accompanied with a pain so strange that it was only with a violent
effort I could restrain myself from crying aloud."
A NATURALIST BADLY 8TUNQ.
Leblond, another voyager, in his work ♦'Vx>yage aux Antilles"
fays : - One day I was bathing with some friends in a bay in frolit
of the house where I dwelt. While my friends fished for sardines for
breakfast, I amused myself by diving in the manner of the native^
Carribeans, under the wave about to break; having reached the other
side of one great wave, I had gained the open sea and was returning
on the top of the next wave toward the shore. My rashness nearly
cost me my life. A physalia, many of which were stranded upon the
beach, fixed itself upon r^y left shoulder at the moment the wave
landed me upon the beach. I promptly detached it, but many of its
filaments remained glued to my skin, and the pain I experienced im-
mediately was so intense that I nearly fainted. I seized an oil flask
that was at hand and swallowed one-half while I rubbed my arm with
the other; this restored me to myself and I returned to the house
where two hours of repose relieved the pain, which disappeared alto-
gether during the night. ' '
The physalia are often gregarious, gathering in vast herds in the
shoals. Floating along in large numbers near the tropics in both
oceans, they may be seen carried by currents or driven bv trade
winds, dragging behind them their long tentacular appenda-es, and
conspicu.,us by their rich and varied coloring, from pale crimson to
ultramarme. When a fish has the misfortune to come in contact with
one of these stinging creatures, each tentacle, by an instantaneous
movement, seizes and benumbs it, winding about its body in true boa-
constrictor style. A physalia whose body is no larger than a walnut
will kill a fish larger than a herring ; in fdct, the common flvin^-fish
IS its iiubituul prey. , ' ^
Mr. Bennett describes the physalia as seizingfishes by means of the
tentacles, which are alternately contracted to half an inch and then
*rfM*'"
TOE STINGING SEA -NETTLE.
120
MrSTEKIES OP THE DEEP SEA. " 121
.trU'r'"" T'^'"'^ r'"""^ *" *'■" '<'"^'' "f govern' feet, dra...n„»
he helpless and en a„gled prey to its sucker-like mouths anistom: h!
""T-BUILDJNQ AND eHOOTfUO- FISHES
Birds and fowls are not single in their habit, of nidifleation Cnent
bu,ld,ng) for, as we have fishes with coats hrilliant as thT" ra, dl"
plnmage tliat ever decorated the feathered tribe, so have we filh tha
ay, and others that lay their eggs in „osts bnilt after the l„tr „f
STICKLEBACK IN ITS NEST.
birds, and incfbate them in the same way. There are fonr ri;«> * .
species of fish that are called nest-builder's, b^rrea t, the- i^^^^^^^^^
one that imitates the birds. This curious little creature is he SUckle
back, common i„ English aquariums, and more comml alon " the"
English coast and in the harbors. ^
Albert Hancock haP given us an excellent description of the habit,
of the stickleback in an issue of the Mam-ine J V / ft^^"^'^^
from which I quote: " ^yi<ig^rAne of JSatural ili.iory,
-I had the pleasure of seeing the nest built from the verv com
mencement and through all its stages. The place selected for t^^
122
SfiA AKD LAKD.
nest was the bare, flat top of a piece of oolite (small grains of lime-
stone), where it formed a right-angle by resting against the glass par-
tition which separated two ponds ( in a tank ), in one of which were kept
four minnows and two small eels, and in the second the sticklebacks.
Now he (the male fish) arrives with a large fibre in his mouth, de-
posits it, rearranges the whole of the materials already accumulated with
his mouth; removing one fibre to this place and aiiotber to that, and
departs in his search for more. Now he returns, carrying a small piece
of gravel which is caiefully placed on part of the fibres, as it were,
to keep them down; he then draws himself slowly over the whole,and
is off again. Now he brings another fibre, which he dibs in with his
snout, so as to make it interlace with the others. Now he is busy
poking a circular hole in the middle of the accumulated materials with
his snout; thus he conveys without cessation, decayed rootlets, gravel,
sand and whatever he can find that will answer his purpose.
"But I must observe that the specific gravity of his materials is
continually tested; for having found what appears a suitable fibre it
is carried a little way, then projected to a short distance from his
mouth and watched as it falls; if it falls rapidly it is tried again in
the same manner, and if it then proves too light it is abandoned
altogether and another selected. If there should be any strong fibre,
which he has a difficulty in causing to remain in the position he re-
quires, a small quantity of sand is brought in his mouth and adroitly
placed on top of the fibre to keep it down. If this does not effect the
purpose so as to please him, the refractory piece is taken out and re-
jected altogether. At the same time he hangs or hovers close over
the surface of the nest and throws his whole body into a curious and
rapid vibratory motion, by which he causes a rapid current of water
to be projected on the materials as though to prove their stability.
Another very curious operation is the action of Rawing his body
slowly over the materials which compose the nest. I believe that at
the time he secretes a glutinous matter which acts as a cement to
bind the whole together, at the same time the pressure of his body may
render them more compact; or, it may be that the whole surface of
the nest is by this action charged with the milt, and thus the impreg-
naJon of the eggs more perfectly insured."
The male stickleback, in the breeding season, is really a beautiful
fish. His skin is quite iridescent with magnificent red and green col-
ors blended together. These colors, as is the case with most fish, are
very (
the st
color
is trai
degrees o
flowers ii
warrior, j
MYSTKniKS OF THE DEEP SEA. ' 133
very evanescent, and soon fade awuv after Hp«fh a ,. .
the stickleback, however,!, it, ZJe e„„ et;ctt'„7''Z ^ '"f
THE ARCHiT.-FlSH.
ti/jlZd r '^°>:j""'J-«'»''P"''-selvesto the colors of
W an^wh r V?r- ^'"' ■""'« "'-kkl-'ck is a ferocious
wamor. and when two of them engage in a combat, which they a«
124
6EA AND LAND.
lliimA
certiiin to do if rircumscribed in their quarters, thebatMeis continued
to the death, for one i» almost sure to be ripped up by the sharp spines
of the other.
THE 8HOOTINQ-FI8H.
Does the reader believe that there is a fish that goes out hunting
and shoots its prey in true sportsman's style? Well, the Archer fish
may not exactly be termed a sportsman, but it is certainly true that
he feeds off the bugs and llies that he shoots. What a funny creature
the archer is, and quite small, too, for he rarely exceeds tight inches
in length. His range is near the surface of the water and along the
shore, where he watches with a sharp eye and voracious stomach.
Discovering a fly hovering over the water, or an insect browsing on a
leaflet near the surface, the archer takes deliberate aim and propels a
small stream of water with almost unerring certainty against the prey,
and always brings it tumbling down to its wide-open and waiting
mouth. There are three well-known species of the archer fish, two
of the largest being peculiar to the Chinese and East India seas. A
leading sport among the Javanese is the catching of these fish and
confining them in aquaria to watch them shoot flies. The largest
species of archer fish can propel a stream of water four feet with
wonderful certainty.
MUSICAL FISH.
All professions and trades are represented in the sea, and musical
culture is not overlooked. The flying Gurnard has been called the
Lyre-fish because some people long ago imagined they were musical.
They might more appropriately be called pyrotechnic fish, because at
night as they fly from the crest of one wave to another they emit so
brilliant a phosphorescent light as to resemble streams of fire. So
far as their music is concerned it is very crude, since about the only
sound they make is a deep-seated grunt. The Maigre is a drummer
and wakes the dull, cold ear of the Mediterranean almost constantly.
The Roman Umhrina go in vast shoals bellowing like long-fasting
lions, their coarse notes being plainly heard as the fish swim nearly
two hundred feet below the surface.
There is a fish found in the Chinese seas which may be fairly called
musical, since it has a voice peculiarly melodious, ranging nearly the
eniiro giimui/. AjiuuLuuiiin. t> niit, hi «v ,,\fi.^ ^ -i.^u .-s ,
describing his voyage round the world, relates that upon an occasion
while his vessel was lying at the mouth of Cambodia River, his atten-
MYSTERIES OF THE DEEP SEA. ' 125
Gradually the iioiso increased
.-ER FISHES O? THE MEWterraNEAN.
c.o.,k,ng„f froga. The sounds he describes as being quite melodious
126
SEA AND LAND.
as well as mysterioi's, calling to mind the fahied music of mermaids.
It was not until some time had elapsed that the Lieutenant discov-
ered his serenaders were rather small fish belonging to the Maigre
family.
Humboldt has described a similar occurrence to which he was wit-
ness during a voyage in the South Sea. He says that at seven o'clock
in the evening an extraordinary noise startled the entire crow, none
of whom had ever heard anything like it before. The sound was very
much like the beating of numerous drums in mid-air, and so mystified
the sailors that all the superstition in their natures was at once ex-
cited. Atj the vessel proceeded the noise grew louder, and finally ap-
peared to be in her hold, so that it was thought a leak hud been
sprung. Humboldt calmed all fears by proving to the crew that it
was a school of drum-fish making the noise. Some of these fish ex-
ceieded one hundred pounds in weight, and ire said to be of splendid
flavor when properly cooked.
Sir James Tennnnt, while traveling in Ceylon, heard strange musi-
cal sounds emanating from the sea, which he explored and describes
as follows- ••In the evening, when the moon had risen, I took a
boat and accompanied the fishermen to the spot where musical vsounds
were said to be heard issuing from the bottom of a lake, and which
the natives supposed to proceed from some fish peculiar to the local-
ity. I distinctly heard the sounds in question. They came up from
the water like the gentle thrills of a musical chord, or the faint vibra-
tions of a wine-glass when its rim Is rubbed with a wet finger. It was
not one sustained note, but a multitude of tiny sounds, each clear and
distinct in itself, the sweetest treble mingling with the deepest bass.
They came evidently and sensibly from the depths of the lake, and
appeared to be produced by moUusca, and not by fish."
THE JUMPINQ FISH OF BORNEO.
As there are many well-known species of warm-blooded animals
living almost wholly in the water, so may we expect and do find, not
a few fishes that spend most of their time on land, where they obtain
their food and find greatest enjoyment. In the foregoing pages I
have described some of the very ugly inhabitants of the sea, but we
now come to one which not only transcends all others in excessive
t l1\Ti.tlCLl\J\.l<r; viictl. a,Vt,d. SOLIVC
n V yl ^% ^« f* a 1 « A o a
than the spectre-headed ornithorhynchus — the bird-beast of Aus-
tralia. This marvelous creature is called the Jumping Fish of Borneo,
MYSTERIES op THE DEEP SEA. ' jg?
Though not its discoverer, Hornaduv U th^ h . ^
b.r having, given .„y mLf..^Z ^^^^TV*''' ' «»-
-tranded ,l,ere, ,he^ seemed to fe" pe ecllv^ h"^ ""T""^
jumping roand over the mud i„ e.JZlZl^^LT' ""f ""'"
difference t„ thei„„dde„ ehanjje ,,/eleme iT. 1 n ''T*''* '"■
ceding npon the tin, e-nstaee^n., en rt ha':.' tThetUr
THE JUMPING FISH OF BORNEO.
prise, and as I make it a rule nevertoal . . . • ^ *"**■-
anything I „ou.d„ot be w,m:7t„d„:y,:. wlTr'""^'." ""'
"^ «^"^ aitauK in pei-8on. "
128
SEA AND LAND.
like a good boy, did not hesitate to follow, and we stepped out of trie
sampan into mud and water hip deep.
«* We will never know the actual depth of the mud on that bank,
but we sank into it to our knees at every step, and were fortunate
enough to stop sinking at that point. What a circus it must have been
for those who looked on. But, in, for a penny in for a pound, and
bidding Francis choose the largest fish when possible, we went f(»r
them. There were probably a dozen in sight hopping spasmodically
about, or lying at rest on the mud, but when we selected the nearest
large specimens and made for them, they developed surprising energy
and speed, and made straight for their burrows. They progressed by
a series of short but rapidly repeated jumps, accomplished by bend-
inty the hinder third of the body sharply around to the left, then
straightening it very suddenly, and at the same instant lifting the
front half of the body clear of the ground by means of the armlike
pectoral fins which act like the front flippers of a sea-lion. These
fins are almost like arms in their structure and use, the bones being of
great length, and thus giving the member great freedom of movement.
Owing to the soft and yielding nature of the mud the leaps were short,
about kIx inches being the distance gained each time, but they were
so rapi^i.the mud so very deep and our progress so slow, the fish
always 'succeeded in getting into their holes before wo could reach
them. Their burrows were simply mud-holes, going straight down
to a depth of three to four feet, large enough in diameter to admit a
man's arm easily, and, of course, full of water. Although the mud
was soft it was not sticky, and we were able to use our hands for
spades very effectually. By digging a big hole two feet deep, and
standing on one's head in the bottomof Itwe were.ableto reach an arm
down two feet further and seize our fish at the bottom of the burrow.
Lucky it was for us that they had no sharp and poisonous spines like
the niud-laff which stung me in Singapore and paralyzed my right
hand for some hours.
'♦ My first fish was hard to get and hard to hold, but, in the immor-
tal words of * The Shaughraun,' ' begorra, 'twas worth it.'
*« As I remarked before, our living specimens were hard to hold.
When I was trying to pass a string through the gills of my first fish,
u^ «<-... .^»1q<4 r-.,-*^ r^f n-,ir rrr-u^n anA fho monipnl-. hfi t.nimhed t.hft mud
started at his best speed for the water tvi'cnty yards distant,
" r was horrified at the thought r)f his getting away, and instantly
MYSTKIUES OF THE DEEP SEA. 129
falling upon my hands and knees T pursued him frantically ' on all
fours. It must have been a si^htfit for the gods, for even my stolid
and ever respectful Malays actually shouted ^ith an4 Ir to see the
« tuan' go over the mud like a ' huaya ' <'cron^d^Io^ tJ 1 l,
was successful, however for I wTs^hl^r '^^ ^^ ''^'^''^^'^^^'^'^
through it nnd T^K.V*"^'''''''^'"*^^"^"^ instead of
thiough It and I overhauled my fish in fine stvle. A few minutes
THE WALKING FISH,
p . _ WALKING FI8HE8.
130
SEA AND LAND.
dian Ocean is almost as hideous and uncouth hi appearance as is tlie
jumping -fish just described. Wood pronounces it " one of tlie strange
and wild forms that sometimes occur in nature, and which are so en-
tirely opposed to all pre-conceived ideas that they appear rather to be
the composition of human ingenuity than beings actually existing.
The traveler who first discovered this remarkable fish would certainly
have been disbelieved if he had contented himself with mnking a
drawing of it, and had not satisfied the rigid scrutiny of scientific
men by bringing home a preserved specimen."
In the walking-fish the carpal bones, t.e., those bones which repre-
sent the wrist in man, are very much lengthened, and at their
eytremity are placed the pectoral fins, which are short and stiff, very
closely resembling claws. The body is flat and greatly elevated, so that
in walking it looks almost like a sheet of paper going about on legs.
This queer creature rarely strays any distance from the sea, generally
confinins: itself to the shallow water of the coast, where it seeks its
prey on the sand.
THE WONDERFUL OLIMBINQ PEROH.
But the jumping and walking-fishes are both exceeded ii» curiosity,
so far as habits are concerned, by the climbing-perch of Asiatic
waters, which is the very antithesis of what we might expect a fish to
be. Several species of fish have the power of voluntarily leaving
failing streams and ponds and making their way across dry tracts in
search of water, which their unerring instincts invariably enable them
to find. Even the common eel has been frequently observed cross-
ing fields in its passage from one stream to another, but the tracts
of land thus crossed, though devoid of water, are at least moist.
The climbing-perch, scientifically known as the Anabas Scandens,
not only passes from one stream to another, but travels over vast
tracts of land, including dusty roads and parched fields, under the
full glare of a summer's sun, and feels no inconvenience f|;pm the
dry transit.
Respecting the singular habits of the anabas, Mr. Morris, the
British Government agent at Trincomalee, India, thus writes most
interestingly:
**I was lately on duty inspecting the bund of a large tank at Nade-
cadua, which being out of repair, the remaining water was confined in
u small hollow in the otherwise dry bed. Whilo there heavy rains
came on, and as we stood on the high grounds we observed a pelioaa
MY8TRRTK8 OF THE ,DE .P SEA. 1 jgj
on the margin of the shallow pool gorWn^ itself 0„. .
toward him and rai.ed a cry of « fish I fiTlf- w u ^^^^^^ ""^"^
found numbers of fish stru Jlin ]^ " ^^ ^""''^^ ^"^" «"d
ri".^ formed b, the tl-^lirftlhrS' t;:""^' ^'^ '"'''^ '"" ^'-
to cover them, but nevertheless hel"-^ ^'''' '''"'''^ ""^'"^
bank, on which our followe.'col,eot^^ T ! ""^'"^ ^'''-'''' "P ^^e
a distance of forty yards om he ttnt'T^ '"'^'^'^^ ^' ^^^"^ '^*
way up the knoll, and had ZvLlu' ^^ ""'''' ^"^^''""^ ^^eir
pelican and after;ard bv ou, J .. '" interrupted, first by the
have gained the hS^ p^^i^ ! H' '''^ T"" ^'" ^ ^^^ --"^es
pool which formed\nolhT;'por. ^7^ ^ank.' ''' ""'''' '''' ''"^^ ^
<< •
THE LAND- TRAVELLING PERCH.
pools, tni at .a»t;^%*:f ;t^:,'V''; «^5 ?»Y'''""'« ■" "-« ■■""
the bed, rolling in^XlaenZ '^."^r'^' '« the moistest parts of
Bistence of thick gruel ' "^ " " *'"" """ '"><'»* «>« «-n.
place I saw hundreds TZlZ^iZlf "^- ''''''' P""''" ^" <">«
had iu5t .h„„H„., J Ty"^ "' ""'"7 «'"•'"=«»■' fton, the tank th^.
tr.veii„g on™;d: iV':„;:j;rdi:' '''v ^"'"''^<'» »■"» ^"■''
/
132
SEA AND LAND.
level ground, for at these places all the cattle and wild animals of the
neighborhood had latterly con)e to drnik, so that the surface was
everywhere indented with footmarks in addition to the cracks in the
surrounding baked mad, into which the fish tumbled in their progress.
In those holes, which were deep and the sides perpendicular, they
remained to die, and were carried off by kites and crows.
** My .impression is that this migration must take place at night or
before sunrise, for it was only early in the morning that I have seen
them traveling, ."nd I found that those I brought away with me in the
chatties appeared quiet by day, but a large proportion managed to get
out of the chatties by night; some escaped altogether while others
were trodden on and killed.
" One peculiarity is the large size of the vertebral column, quite
disproportioned to tiie bulk of the fish. I particularly noticed that
all fn the act of migrating had their gills expanded."
Mr. Morns' description of the fish in accurate enough so far as it
goes, buthedotis not mention the still more singular climbing habit
Tn which it orcisionally indulges, to-wit: the climbing of palm trees.
Wood, the naturalist, "says the fact of its climbing trees is not authen-
ticated, but in thi>, h^ is certainly mistaken. Several gentlemen of
my ncquj^.intance who are perfectly trustworthy, and who have seen
gicat numbers of the fish along the Ganges, assure me that, time and
again, they havo knocked down these perch from high branches of
palmtre.es, vhile another gentleman declared to me that on one oc-
casion he saw an anabas climbing up the.body of a palm and watched
it until 't reached the branches.
So well attested are the climbing habits of this curious fish that in
the Tomonle language (of India) it is called Paneiri, which means
tree-climber. Besides the anabas there is another tree-climbing perch
found ii\ Brazil, and which is quite plentiful along the Amazon River.
riOW IT SUSTAINS LIFE WHILE ON LAND.
The natural appearance of the anabas, the utter absence of abnormal
developments or appendages to detract from its very common fish-like
character, leads us to -'onder what means nature has provided to en-
able it to live for periods of five and six days at a time out of
water. This inquiry is answered by the following explanation : What
the lungs are to man the gills are to fishes; dry gills will produce puf-
focation in a fish just as the want of air suffocates a man. If the gills
can be kept constantly wet, a fish will live out of water for a long time ,
moLsturesufflcrj " resprufo,,, while i„ others simple
wi"c:::i:;;:i^::';,l:„:':t:"^„,p-eh .h„ w„„derfu. ..„.„.
THE CLIMBING PERCH OF h AMERICA.
:X;ht "it:r i:;!"^;: rrir t- ^^^ •'-
these become dry ,„• require m„,-« „ , f, "'™'»''"''^. ""d a"
opens .„aa.,„j.,4-rj— Tr::.t.r;!'4" :?t
«»h diesexactl, as other species dl tnt/^'f „1 1'/r;' ""' '''
134
6I5A AiJt> LAim.
A SUMMARY OF CURIOUS t iSHES.
We have seen in the preceding descriptions of inhabitants of the
sea such wonderful curiosities as may well excite our surprise and
cause us to doubt if the limit to the phenomena of nature as mani-
fested in the ocean has yet been defined by naturalists, for the possi-
bilities of creation appear to be endless.
We have seen fishes clothed with almost invulnerable armature,
while, side by side in the water wilderness, roam the most gigantic
and tiniest of creatures in all creation; some, that in appearance are
more horrible than the most gruesome spectres of a diseased imagin-
ation, while in the same element disport species that rival the beauties
of the prisms, or the sun-hued plumage of the gorgeous birds of
paradise.
But if the marvelous contrarieties and astounding aspects seen in
fishes excite our wonder, what shall we say of the effect produced by
an understanding of their remarkable habits? We are accustomed to
regard the inhabitants of the water as common creatures well under-
stood, and as presenting few, if any, characteristics worthy of our
special concern or study. The fact, however, is that no where in
nature is what we call phenomenal life so abundant as in the sea.
By examining species peculiar to the ocean, and those, too, which
belong to the order of fishes proper, we find that some are flyers as
well as swimmers; others that progress by walking with perfect
naturalness ; some that are amphibious and carry their supply of
water with them while journey ii|j|g over land ; some that climb trees
and spend days among the branches ; others that burrow deep in the
mud and require culy moisture ; some that progress entirely by jump-
ing and others by creeping. Then we have some species that are
admirable archers, shooting their prey with astonishing precision,
while others possess powerful electric batteries, by means of which
they disable their enemies and secure their sustenance. Singularly
enough, there is at least one species that spends its time in angling,
nature having provided it with a pole, line and bait, while for hook
its teeth sei-ve the purpose excellently. Then again several kinds of
fish possess stings, some like the scorpion and others like the corn-
worm, with nfettles all over its body. Others again have telescopic
lips which they can shoot out a distance nearly twice the entire length
of the head, by which they secure their prey. Some fish require the
coldest water, while others can maintain life only in water that is a
MTSTERIES OP THE DEEP SEA. Jaj
few degree, below the boiling point. There are fish whieh are «In,ost
en ,rel^ de,„t„,e of the power of locomotion, while otler "rero
v.ded w„h organs whi.h enable them to dart through the wa er wkh
« speed unequalled by any hind animal. ^ "'
dee^'p sla Vtlll wiLeri'""''' ""'° """ "" "'*"''''" "S"' <»""" '» «he
aeep sta, still wandering suns, moons and lanterns are found moving
ike the e ,™r'L"°' ""'""""^ ^"'"- »* ™«" wi^rcreZreT
like the electric light attracts will w-flies and beetles Mo»t „f « i!
spawn but others lay their eggs in carefullv-bu ^ststd i ic fate
them ,„ excellent imitation of the fowl. Some are possessed o^
the most acute vision, while others are destitute oHhe sense
ttt::' "'"'"^ '"'""'y "p- "" -gs-ted sense of feiiirg"::
oeJaV is 'a fZ' 1 '"' 'I""' '" ""' ™™''"«' '"""O '- S^bes, for the
ocean is a field of mysteries, many of which are not siven us to
— g-LTalt.^-"' '-'''' -" ■"-- "« --"'^ ^X
CHAPTER XI.
THE WORLD DOWN UNDER THE SEA.
lE have described some of the curious living things which
I come under the observation of travelers most frequently!
ff^f ,T ''° '"T '" S"" "' «° i''"" "* tho intimate connec-
lA* tion existing between life on land and in the sea- that (h„
..similarity of elements does not necessarily break th har^ myM
resemblance be ween sea and land life. We will n„„ descend into
he nigh y depths of dark ocean's caves, where opalescent rays wS
l.eaut,.y the surface never penetmte, and where the deep bilo vi, !,
of furious tenipests are never heard. There is a mystery in „I 3
hand of man can never explore, down among dead men's bones
the skeletons of ships and treasure galore ^ ■"«■> » bones,
foJ;::^t:r,::u;^rrf™;it7;:r;-^^^^
m Cr »1 '"'' '"'"'""•' P'"-;^'""'"' !'«■•!"■". strontium, cai:
cium, iKiron, aluminum, magnesia, copper, lead, zinc, nickel, cobalt.
136
SfiA AND LAND.
manganese, iron and gold and silver. Of gold, it has been estimated
that there is the value of five cents worth in every ton of suit water,
and of silver there is said to be two million tons held in solution by
ocean water. You will doubtless say, " How surprising and won-
derful !" but the greatest surprise is yet to come when we consider the
marvels of the ocean bed.
A REGION OF FAIRY SPLENDORS.
Of the world under the sea, Schleiden says : ♦' We dive into the
liquid crystal of the Indian Ocean, and it opens to us the most ♦von-
drous enchantments, reminding us of fairy tales in childhood's
dreams. The strangely branching thickets bear living flowers, the
coloring, beauty and variety of which surpass everything. The clear
sand of the bottom is covered with the thousand strange forms and
tints of sea-urchins and star-fishes. The leaf-like flustras and escha-
rus adhere like mosses and lichens to the branches of the corals ; the
yellow, green and purple-striped limpets cling like monstrous coch-
ineal insects upon their trunks. Like gigantic cactus blossoms, spark-
ling in the most ardent colors, the sea anemones expand their crowns
of tentacles upon the broken rocks, or more modestly embellish the
flat bottom. Around the blossoms of coral shrubs play the humming-
birds of the ocean, like fish sparkling with red or blue metallic glit-
ter, or gleaming in golden green or the brightest silvery lustre
Softly, like spirits of the deep, the delicate milk-white or bluish belles
of the jelly-fishes float through this charming world. Here the
gleaming violets and gold-green Isabelle, and the flaming yellow,
black and vermillion-striped coquette choose their prey ; there the
band-fish shoots, snake-like, through the thicket, like a silver ribbon,
glittering with rosy and azure hues. Then comes the famous cuttle-
fish decked in all colors of the rainbow, but marked by definite out-
lines, appearing and disappearing, inter-crossing, joining company
and parting again in most fantastic ways; and all this in the most
rapid change, and amid the most wonderful plays of light and shade,
altered by every breath of wind and every slight curling surface of
the ocean. When day declines, and the shades of night lay hold upon
the deep, this fantastic garden is lighted up with a new splendor.
Millions of glowing sparks, little microscopic medusas and crusta-
ceans dance like glow-worms through the gloom. The sea-feather,
which by daylight is vermiliion-colored, waves in a green phosphor-
escent light.
Every corner of it is lustrous.
llYSTERIES OF THE DEEP SEA. ' J 37
-Parts which b; .Uy were perhaps dull and brown, and retreated
from the sight amic me universal brilliancy of color, are now radiant
n the nios wonderful play of light; and to complete the wonders o
the enchanted n.ght. the silver disc, six fe.. across, of the moon-fish.
moves, 8 ightly lummous, among the clouds of little sparkling stars
The most luxuriant vegetation of a tropical landscape cannot unfold
as great wealth of form while in the variety and splendor <.f color it
would stand far behmd this garden-land.cape. which is strangely
composed exclusively of animals, and not of plants; for, character,
istic as the luxuna.>t development of vegetation of the temperate
zones IS of the seu-hottom, the fuHness and multiplicity of the marine
fauna is just as prominent in the regions of the tropics. Whatever
.s beautiful, wondrous or uncommon in the great classes of fish and
Echmoderus, jelly-fishes and polypus, and the molluscs of all kinds is
crowded into the warm and crystal waters of the tropical ocean
rests in the white sands, clothes the rough cliffs, clings when the room'
IS already occupied, like a parasite, upon the first comers, or swim^
through the shallows and depths of the elements, while the mass of
vegetation is of a far inferior magnitude."
MARVELS IN THE MIGHTY DEEP.
The sea presents all the inequalities that are observed on land • it
has Its mountains, valleys, hills, plains and caverns. Until within [he
last fifty years no one had measured its depths nor discovered the
formation and character of the sea-bed. Dr. Maury, the eminent
savant and navigator, to whom the world is indebted for its most
important information concerning the ocean, has explored many of
the greatest secrets of its depths, and also the laws by which the
ocean-world is governed. The average depth of the Atlantic is two
miles, but frequent soundings have been made in both the Atlantic
and Pacific of five and even six miles. How wonderful the darklin-
dephs, where sound nor sight nor motion ever disturb the pulselesi
waste of ocean; where even the fish cannot swim, the waves break
or the tempest murmur. Down upon the deep sea-bed, most remark-
able to relate, decay is arrested, and but for the infusorial life which
alone finds existence there, dead bodies might remain for all time
resting as still and perfectly in this water-world as though embalmed
m H bloc^ Ox iee. Nor does the temperature change, but maintains a *
wakes the dull, echoless and tomb-like cradle of the billowy deep.
♦,,.>w-I^.,
138
SEA AND LAND.
How marvelous is this bod of tho sea, for reposing therein is the em-
bryo of continents, of mountain chains, of meadow and field. Figuier
8tat«'s that among tlie fragments brought up from the dead and cur-
rentU'ss depths of the Pacific by Brooks' apparatus, Ehrenburg found
one hundred and thirty-five different forms of infusoria, among which
were twenty-two species never before met with. Of the infusoria of
the Pacific the composition is generally silicious, while those in the
Atlantic are calcareous. These animalculie draw from the sea the
mineral mutter with which it is charged — that is, the lime or silica
which forms their shells. These shells accumulate after the death of
the animal and form the bottom of the ocean. Living near the sur-
face, as they die their bodies are consumed by others of their genus,
while their carapaces, or shells, descend like snow-flakes to the bottom.
Thi« snow-like fall is continuous all over the sea, and the countless
myriads gradually raise tlie bottom of the ocean until islands and vast
bodies of land aie formed. The horizontal beds of marine deposits,
which are called .se(?imeu<rtry rocks, and especially the cretaceous rocks
and calcareous beds of the Jurassic and Tertiary periods, all result
from such remains. The whole of France, England and most of iL'>n-
tinental Europe were evidently thus formed.
RESTFUL WATERS ALONE PREVENT THE EARTH FROM BEING OUT IN TWAIN.
Down at the great depths where these carapaces first fall the i;ea is
at such complete rest that not the slightest traces of sand are dis-
covered. Did the currents of the ocean extend to these dentbs the
weight of water would be so tremendous that, instead of gentl" erosion,
as we see on the coast, there would be an abrasion so great as to cut
the very globe in twain. The pressure at five miles below the surface
is sufficient to collapse an empty bomb, and yet nature, with her
illimitable means at command, has created minute animals that live
and mo^e freely through this ponderous element that would crush the
life out of all other created things. The diver, in his copper helmet
and heavy encasement of body, can not go below one hundred and
fifty feet on account of pressure ; think, then, what the pressure must
be five miles below the surface.
A writer has said : "The tooth of ruining water is very sharp.
See how the Hudson has eaten through the highlands, and the Niagara
has cut its \v!iv tiirouwh laver after laver of solid rock. But what are
the Hudson and Niagara with all the fresh watercourses of the world
by the side of the Gulf Stream and other great curreat%|iithe ocean?
■&»:
MTSTERIKS Ol^ THE DEEP SEA. I 139
nalotwithfl''" P™""™;" ''»»'■ «"terup„„ rlver-bed^ in com-
parson w,tl, the pressure of ocean water upon the bed of the dee,,
the cahuacta Then why have not the currents of the eea worn its
botU,maw.y? Sr^ply because they are not permitted to get down
CHAPTEE XII.
MODERN MONSTERS OF THE OCEAN WORLD.
?"f„.utir''^.r"'"''? "' '™l"«™''' 'l-ciesis more re-
.*P notl!h f ";'"■«""'» ''""«' '■' ""= <"^«"' ">■" "« «»n even
'*.! note the unfoldings of creation in a glass of salt-water We
marvel and e.clai™, ■• How can,e n,an upon the stage of „ exeZt
fro,n progenuors of similar conformation and orga°,iz„ti „?'■ We
cannot answer this question better, or ex-plain the evolution of all
qun er to the following experiment : Take a glass of crystal water
espccally salt water- so pure that the most powerful micro co^
annot detect the existence of any anim.lcular li/e; seal it, TZiZ
to prevent the possible admission of atomic dus or life .md hen
note the deve „pn,e„t that transpires. After u period of s't lti!n
.r decompos,fon, infusorial life is ce.tain to appear ; fi,lt Stesi'
mal, microscopic animals, then the development of Ur- ai ima T
cul«, which will sustain themselves by feedin.- Z,T,CT
" s r-bein'rre,. r:rprcL"'""""% "' """■•"'^' -^
e 1 , ^ '•iioti m.m Its predecessor. Is not this thp niv>nf
tw'ZaZ /,'*'""'"' :"""*•"'• "'""?'' 'he "ooean main, bu"t"in'
140
S£A ANl> LaNI>.
The links ure soruewhut broken through the lapse of countless yoairt,
whoso chronicles are distorted drifts and layers, but the generic niarivs
of species discovered give a connection which is sufficiently under-
stood to furnish a proof of the theory of development of species into
ultimately distinct genera.
LEGENDS OF THE TIME OF COLUMBUS.
When Columbus crossed the sea nearly four hundred years ago, the
civilized world believed as implicitly in the existence of frightful sea
monsters as they did in the virtue of saintly bones, shrines and Cal-
varean relics. It was almost sacrilegious to dispute the legends which
had come down to them from the days of Plato. Some'of the ene-
mies of Columbus cried out against his undertaking by declaring that
SEA GRYPHON OF PHILOPONUS.— (aN OLD PRINT.)
he and his crew would certaily fall victims to voracious sea gryphons
and other imaginary creatures that guarded the sea-realm from human
intrusion.
Singularly enough, there accompanied Columbus on his voyage a
priest who was evidently so firmly attached to the superstitions of
his times that he felt it his divine duty to perpetuate them, and con--
sequently he wrote a book describing bis adventures at sea, which for
rank and indefensible lying, is a record that far transcends Baron
Munchausen. This priest's tnie name is in doubt, nor is it to be
wondered that he employed means to render it so, considering that
the occasion was great. The name by which he wud known Tmontr
MYSTERIES OF THE DEEP SEA. I41
k at least an imi.li.-ati,,,, tin tthl u. ' "'" ""•"<"•• «"»«^ """e
weakness tmusm edt , jl 1 V'f '"""'"■" ■"= " K«"^"'l"gi-I
But ho was 1,0," knllr , P, • ''"'"'' ""'■•"»•>''"■•% of „tato„,ont.
tlmt all 1,0 wroto was the wl,.,le nith I ^ ** """" wit„ossos.
f.™ tho fads, „o,. exIXrat t 1 o hi": ,f :':""= '""' >"' "' ""'»
of those advo„tu,es he 'ZCsl tllwlf ""' "' "" "'"' <""• O"'
DREADFUL ADVENTURE OF A PRIEST
ei.he,^hat^!: fud "XtLrierd a ZlTT l"' '""" "'""^•
vessel had sw.ved to tl,. T. , ?««"'""• "l-ock, and aftei- the
thoaght we iTadlund d ^^ "" '", "'" '""' '""■'"''^'' ">«' -»
l.n.,:..sandanlt;Tetlr;e:.'t'h: ■■'"' """^ "r^-" "" '»
of the largest in the A.mada i "■'" "''"'' ''^'"''' ™* "■>«
strange phonon,onon lal ^ f '■ '" ''"" "'" "^ *■" ""*"• This
ooald pla nly s othe riirlf tl ■ '"" w" """^i'*-^'-'""'' «■"«. and we
tl.e.W. When lo I s dl .p trttl^hr'''"'" /"' '"^"^'^
seemed to ™o, a huge conti„;ntf ugh td „"lv t'f IT '""""^ '1
some distance to the rigl t of uj two „,•!?» , "'"'"• ""^
spouting themselves into he .,v,f f ''°'"'"'" "' '""''='• ''«'•«
And while wTthhor,rst tie "^
t^e other ship:"T:„:::;:t';tr;;:x;\t\°'^"f"'^ ""^ ^-^
Mash and :r:o.''''«!!!':'"! T'"^^ '^o.-'-- »»« -"king a g..t
it was a whale, but I "who folt'Th^"™ "'S'"'*™'' immediately said
-^ -. k„;w.ng ^ZZs^t^. ^-^Z
142
USA JlKD land.
such an one on board as myself. And then this monster began to
swim away from the other vessels, making head toward Spain. Every-
thing was done in our power to make tlie monster descend, but all
the back-proggings that he received did not seem at ail to disconcert
him, and it is no telling where we should have been carried, until it
occurred to me that only through divine interposition could we l»o
saved from shipwreck, and possibly a more horrible death. So 1
ordered those of the priests who were on board to prepare themselves
for the performance of high mass, and to get ready the altar, and tlie
sailors to put over the side of the vessel the long ladder, so that I and
the priests, and those who were bold, might, upon the back of this
foul monster, say mass.
"Now," continues Padre Philoponus, «*we began with stronjr
hearts our service at the altar. Wo went through the whole mass,
but when we came to the Agnus Dei we felt a peculiar trembling be-
neath our feet. The waters on either side began at first to recede
from us and then to surge up, while the spoutings began to increase
in their violence, and we heard strange noises. I then knew that our
prayers were answered, and that this terrible beast was beginning to
descend to its depths. But I finished the services, and when we were
a<'^ain all safely on board and had cheered those therein by our manner
and speech, the whale began to descend still more quickly, and sud-
denly took itself from our sight; and the ship again rested on the
bosom of the placid ocean. Thus were we alone saved by prayer and
through my medium. After this the vessel rejoined her consorts, and
the voyage was performed without any too serious an occurrence
worthy to be recorded or painted."
A MONSTER TEN -FOLD WORSE THAN THE DEVIL.
Having started his imagination to working, he did not withold oils
and stimulants that it might continue with smoothness and alacrity.
He relates that coming to one island they found it occupied by a mar-
velous tribe of Indians, who maintained supremacy not only over tlio
land, but over the ocean monsters as well. A deputation of five of
these strange men came to visit the Spaniards on one occasion ; not as
one would suppose, on foot, horseback or in palanquin, but, surpris-
ing to relate, "seated upon the back of a sea-gryphon, an immense
animal havinir a scalv back, frinced collar, a lashing tail and a hog's
head. It was also furnished with four huge paws, each paw having
three fingers ; it also had tremendous wings and fins — a very savage
MYSTERIES OF THE JDJEEP SEA. ^43
looking monster to behold, and one that st.npir *. . .
even the bravest of the Spaniard! '• t ' ^'^ ^^^ "^^''^^^^
Clares that the Indians we^.a ^ed .ith b et^t Xri'^/"!?" '^-
were as formidable as the dra<.on evTo7e'^^^^^^^ '""^
perceived at the same time in m^l ' :. , ^*''^' ^"^^""« ^^^'^
lassoing similar monste^ "'^"^ ^^^"^ -d"'^-.? i" the sport of
Phlloponus, who should have been « r^««f k *
foreseeing that l.is spiritual om' iprtence'^^,n.r''/f ""."'''"•
this same vovage off Carie Vprr?« « 1 r\ witnes^sed on
COOKING A 0,™„ „„ l,„,„„,»,, ,„K_(A„ „,„ p„„^,,
beefsteak, .he .iL of't ran^T;,::;''^ "' "■""^'' '"^^ ""'^ "- ^'«''
that durilxr a I r ,1 Ir I ''",""l"'""l^ '«li«ved .I.e »t„lo,„e„t_
.iok„e. „r;: ti ;:■,:::. : s/;'h '^ ",""'"'''^'' "^ -»■
for several hours fo « J. ' ^^"^ '"' ^"'"1' '^"'^ anchored
bear's c at, Id tlat t^W^^^^^^ """^"* Laving a hog's head and a
out upon the'le::!^!:.!^ "^Zh 7^7''^' "' l'^ '"'- ^"^
dinner, which in no wJ-o ^ wiieroon they cooked a
anothe;::::':;.":;!:^..''^^^^'-^^^^ ^'-.^-^ "..imal. ^ontf<.rt.
y y this, no, d.d «i.y one n.e to offer objection or question
144
SEA AND LAND.
CHAPTER Xm.
TITANIC CREATURES OF THE OCEAN.
Descending from the lofty and wondrous sphere into which
Father Philoponus would fain keep U8» and taking up our
places again among the realities of life, we will find the sea
no less interesting nor the life therein less wonderful when
we come to view some of the marvelous facts of nature as they
actually exist.
Job has said, writing for the nineteenth century as well as for those
long anterior to the first :
" '^anst thou draw out leviathan with an hook? or his tongue with
a cord thou lettest down ? * * * He niaketh the deep to boil like
a pot; he maketh the sea like a pot of ointment ; he maketh a path
to shine after him."
From this biblical allusion we understand that the whale was well
known to the ancients, and that possibly no means had then been
devised by which leviathan could be captured, nor was there any incen-
tive then to hazard battle with him.
Under the name Cetacea^ naturalists include all fishes having warm
blood, venous and arterial, and that are viviparous. These are the
whale, black-fish, dolphin, narwhal, porpoise, dugong, manatee and
nearly fifty others. If we examine the skeleton of a whale we are
amazed to find it formed of articulated bones like thoso of the feet
and hands of terrestrial mammals. Moreover we will detect the prin-
cipal parts of the skeleton of a terrestrial animal. An examination
of the whale's organism discloses yet stronger ties connecting them
with land animals. We find that they have warm blood, and breathe
by means of lungs through the direct absorption of the air ; the diges-
tive system is identical, and finally, they bring forth their young and
suckle them in the same manner as animals living on land. An ob-
servei who has several times drunk whale's milk declares that there is
• scarcely a perceptible difference between it and cow's milk.
VARIOUS 8PE0IE8 OF WHALES.
The Rsa has the hoirnr of being the home of the largest of all created
living things, which is very proper and as we might expect, consider-
ing the disparity between land and water. The Greenland wh»lQ pot
MTSTERIES or THE DEEP SEA. 145
Infreqnently attoins a length of seventv.fl»« fc«t i.- ..
weight of as many ton,, and of mrS;* wt ilf- P"™^'"' '
The pectoral fins of sn-l. . „„ . ^ " '" """""""'erenoe-
feet Lg, wh,; the l' o " aut^ Z "f '"",*'""' ''" »' '-'"
broad. The Northern T^rnlT I '"""''^ twenty-five feet
hundred feet in Cth bt tT«L r^",?"'' '"'""^ '^""^'"S <">«
land whale. Some Welet^ h ", T"'?' °' '"^^ *■"" "■« G"e„.
JT^^^-lsfouSrithrAttnt,*';' ""' ''""""""'* """J
one hundred a„d seventv feet !„/ T "''' ="°'' *° '''«'°g"> »*
ever having been tlen The' Sn -T "° '•^'■"' "' ^"'='' « »■>«!«
peouhar ^^.treri^uth^!!: uSj f ^ ra^^^rotti'^r '
X^Cyirf: ,i:r.^^ - - «-"'- »^-ni oi? r^
thert:th?t:LT^iirnt:::r" *'"'"™'™ ""'•' •"""•-
hquid parses through the „trLT;mrfo"fT o" t T" ^"^
of the membrane of th. r>.lnf. j ^ " P"™'""- dispos tion
terna. orifice of the nasi" ctitv "th "*' '" " '"« ^'"^ "* '"« -
muscles, the water's exoeneH I^ . ""' '='""?'•«*«'") by Powerful
to the species) v'^::^:' :^^:tz] z tv""': ^•""""■■"^
holes. Itisamatte- „!!;"' f"""' "'«''«»''. "nd called blow-
.he How-holesrwater or Zr'-'ater^'''" '^ ?'""^"'» "■"""S"
water taken into the mouth wMll f ? T"^ """^ *""" " '« '^e
powerful iets. Scores^ very l^^^,:!:^^ " T" "''' '" *-">
mainUin that it ,s only the va^^To " wh'i I' •"""' "*""'"
tact with cold air, immediatelv Z a ' """""S '"'" <=""-
afterwards in a siirfinet!^ ""'""• "' ''"' '" ■"""'» "X-O-'d
taa, I had an uncommonly fltoZrtJ^v S""i: ''T" ^^^'"'-
of whales and to form an onin 1 "^ vL ^. '" °^^"^ *''° "Pouting
When a few hund,™ miles rmTll'"' f ?"""• P-'-'-o-tioned!
pa..engers sighted two whalel'sTme^ stance ILr^'Z'"'"' "''"
to be garaboline. *or thnir /lion. ""»i»"^e anead. They appeared
than half a min^ute"Ld m^rZ rT.."''''''' ""'"'^ "«^ ""'" ""'^'>
themselves almost'entt 1^ ut of t!e s " If" ''"'^''"•'" '"-^
Rauaucror wnaies increased from two fn «oo..i " -^ir'-^clieu, the
ently so interested were thev in th^ * .? ^ * ''"^'°' *"^ War-
-teve^and allowed ^Cit -1 ^ J^^thr "m^
in
146
8EA AND LAND.
W-M
So near were we that several times I could have struck them with a
stone as they raised tlieir enormous heads or moved their ponderous
flukes high in the air as tliey descended. I do not tliink they were
feeding, for during this period they swim in a direct line with mouths
open, whereas upon tliis occasion all their movements ap[)eared to be
sportive gambols. As the wliales rose tiiey almost invariiiblj spouted,
and I was struck at the time with the very peculiar character the
water assumed as it left the bio -holes. Instead of being a vertical
column, or stream of water — though it was thrown to a height of thirty
or forty feet — it ap^^v-dred more like steam issuing violently from an
THE SPERM WHALE.
escape-pipe, and as it gained its greatest height floated off very much
like steam does. As I had never heard of this peculiarity and hntl
supposed, according to common report, that whales spouted solid
columns of water, I was very much surprised at what I saw. I in-
cline to the belief, from what I witnessed, that whales spout as much
fn)m sport as they do to relieve their mouths from the water taken in
while feeding. It is only reasonable to suppose that the simple pro-
cess of closing the mouth, with a possible action of the tongue, would
m^l all the watiw m thoroughly as though it were driven backwai-d
MYSTERIES OP THE DEEP 8BA. X47
Cetaceans are divided into t«ro classes, the larger of which a- the
whales which feed on small R.h, cephaloids, infusoria and bther an,
ma s and the other, including lamatins, dugongs, stelleres eti
wh,ch are entirely herbivorous, these latter being cLfined^ene^r,.;
tropical seas, while whales are chiefly found in cnhtrT,!-^ J
But in both species the blow-holes are pr^seja'd use ' mil'r"^^'
Mangn, says : -. A profound instinct of sociability s^ems one of
rtst^^f-rr,:;'^ "'''" I'r- ■'^*"'" "--^ ^^'^^z:i
::rofte:::e? nTrv^n': "ztm-^rr"""' "«""-
1 , ,, . young, itie same attachment pviat«
between the male and his mate, and like the maternal sentTment of
affccfon reveak a touching character, since it almost always Za,"!
over that .nstmct which in mo.t animals keeps down e3ot"er-
rf-pXlr '" "'™ ''-"'''-^'^ "■- ~'^ '-«- of
.enem' The'h "b""' "''""'" ''*" ""^ ""<"' ^'^'-g *» their
tnrnd annual, ready to fly at the slightest intimation of dan-er Yet
an mtrep.d courage is kindled in the breast of this oceanXi when
he sees one of his young attacked or wounded , but Ws orobiecUs
enemy, and if ,t dies, to perish with it, for the poor beast will
ever abandon it. Unprovided with weapons, he can n™ wise
Wend hunself : nor does he ever n,ake the attempt, f"r hTiswhl Iv
detont m the .nstinot of combat. He can suffer', but hi iS
A WHALE 8INK8 A SHIP.
To Mangin's latter observations I mn^f ^vnn«*
poon wafl made by a m«n in the first boat, but whilte he
was in the act
f
148
SEA AND LAND.
i " i
of poising the weapon u whale, whether in anger or by accident,
struck the boat a violent blow with its tail, crushing it badly and
throwing the harpooner into the water. A return to the vessel was
now made to repair damages, but just as the boats reached the ship
another very large sperm-whale appeared hardly twenty yards from
the ship on the weather-bow. The monster cetjicean was swimming
at a rapid pace directly toward the vessel, and in an instant struck it
nearly amidships, producing a collision so violent that several snilors
SMASHING OF THE SHIP ESSEX BY A WHALE.
were thrown to the deck. The whale then passed under the keel and
came up directly thrashing the sea into foam ; so great were its con-
tortions that it was at once npparent the animal had been severely
hurt and was moved by intense agony and anger. In a few moments
the whale ceased lashing the sea, moved deliberately off a hundred
yards or more, then turned and made with all possible speed for the
ship again. During this exciting interval discovery was made that
the vessel was filling, the planking having been sprung by the whale's
MifSMBIES Of THE DEEI. S15A. l4fl
first .ttnck and perooiving „„„ ,h„t the attack was t„ be renewed,
tenor ae,zed the entire erew, one of whon, exelanned: " May God
have meicy on us ; he is coming again I" ^
The whale eame rushing through the water with incredible swifU
ness leaving a foamy track behind him full of swirls and deep wrve
of a hundred battenng rams. There was a loud report, followed by
she had been gathered up by some Titanic hand and hurled back
cTLd Ti'tf f ■'■, ,?!, "'"*'" '•°" *^"P''™-<'- l-ving the ea
Zltul T *'"' '''°"''' """^ *"" """"'^^ """-'^fter the vessel
raised h,gh her stern and plunged headlong out of .sight. Barely time
was gtven the sailors to cut loose the boatl into which they fo tu!
nately managed to escape to a small island called Ducies. This land
proved sue., a barren »p„t that all of the crew save three en „ Ted
.gam .n three boats and set out for the island of Juan Fernandez two
hr,;:;i'"bi"t ""*v^'""'^-""-^'' "•''- -f- "">"■ -"-•'' u™
tter: v vori:;Vtht: pr-L'Tbiri' 'r '^"■"""' "'"■ -'-^
»k„ n u- . lapt.im » boat, which was come ui) with by
he Dauphm contmned only twosurvivrtrs. and the third boat nor the
three mc, left on Ducies I4.n,l wereever heard of again. Ou of a
riii: it';:::! "■"' "™ '""■'""' " '^" *"" '•"■■■""^^"'■■^ - - '-"
A DUTCHMAN RIDES A WHALE
We have all heard of Neptune's chariot, in which the ancients be-
heved he rode over hi, ten.pestuous domain drawn by fierre horses
h vn,g nebbed feet and bifurcated fish-tails. Imagina ion may ave
pictured .some adventurous sea-dog bestriding a dolphin, but we have
to mention the fact of a Dutchman actualWridin.^ a whale- nor ^^
there any fable connected with the story, whih is a's ioLws : '
James Vienkc was a Dutch harpooner long en^a-'ed in the whde
<.» .cry n, the beginning of the present centur^. U,!on one oce- m
struck by the head of the monster and dashed to pieces. By cxtraor-
g ted so squarely upon the whale's back that he maintained bis posi!
tion. Theharpoon, ivhichhe still mana.'e.l to l.-.id „„ to ,e I
wellnow, for, burying it into the monster's l«ck he hddt'oa^dtZ
avoided sl.pp,„g off. Instead of sounding, as is usual, the twe
150
8BA AKt) L. Vt).
kept on the surface, and thus Vienke and hh oceftn steed cleft the
blue sea in truly magnificent style. Great concern was felt for his
(safety as the crew saw him giilloping away at more than double the
speed they were able to make in their boats, and Vienke was so over-
come with fright that he forgot to let go of the harpoon, by which
means he might have easily been at once rescued, but held on as a
drowning man will catch at a straw, until he was nearly a mile from
the nearest boat. Being at last somewhat accustomed to his novel
vehicle, Vienke's presence of mind returned and he no longer hesi-
tated, but cast himself into the sea, very much as a man might fall off
a runaway horse. Being an excellent swimmer he managed to keep
afloat until picked up by the boat that was after him.
INCIDENTS OF FATALITY IN THE WHALE FISHERY.
Scoresby, in his ♦♦ History of the Northern Whale Fi hery," pub-
lished in 1820, a copy of which lies before nje, gives a number of in-
cidents illustrating the perils of the fishery, a few of which I will
here repeat:
«« On *he 3d of June, 1811,a boat from the sh'xp Eesolution, commanded
at the time by myself, put off in pursuit of a whale and was rowed upon
its back. At the moment that it was harpooned it struck the side of
the boat a violent blow with its tail, the shock of wL.ch threw the
boat steerer some distance into the water. A repetition of the blow
projected the harpoonor and line-manager in a similar manner, and
completely drenched the part of the crew remaining in the boat with
spray. One of the men regained the boat, but as the fish immedi-
ately sank and drew the boat away from the place, his two compan-
ions in misfortune were soon left far behind the reach of assistance.
The harpooner, though a practiced swimmer, felt himself so bruised
and enervated by the blow he had received on the chest that he was
totally incapacitated from giving the least sui )ort to his fellow suf-
ferer. The ship being happily near, a boat which had been lowered
on the first alarm arrived to the succor at the moment when the line-
manager, who was unacquainted with the art of swimming, was on
the point of sinking to rise no more. Both the line manager and
harpooner were preserved, and the fish, after a few hours' close pur-
suit, was subdued."
**A large whale, harpooned from a boat belonging to the same ship,
became the subject of a general chase on the 23d of June, 1809. Be-
UVSMRIM OP THE Dtxr 8«A. JJI
1.^ myself in the flrrt boat ,vhich approached the fl,h, I struck my
harpo,,,, at arm's length, by whieh we fortunately evaded a blow that
appeared to be aimed at the .K,at. Another boat then advanced and
ar.,ther harpoon was struck, but not with the .ame result jfrn- the
I Trr'." '''^■■'''"'""'"* """ '™"«°''ou» blow from the fish-
tad. The boat was sunk by the shock, and at the same tin.e whirled
around w,th such velocity that the bcat-steerer was precipitated nto
the water on the side next to the fish, and was actually car Ld
down to a constderable de,,th by its tail. After a n.inute or „ he
arose to the surface and was taken up, along with his compLi on "nto
...y boat A similar attack was made on tSe next boat vl i 1^; me
up; but the harpooner being warned of the prior conduct of he flsT
used such precaution, that the blow, though equal in strength, took
effect only ,n an inferior degree. The boat was slightly st.rve "
Another somewhat simila, incident is related by the same author
though with more serious results: »'"« auinor,
• 'I7f\^''f "'"''' *»*"<"' oavigated an open lake of water in the
,gby-firs degree of north latitude, during a keen frost and t"o,:
north wtnd a whale appeared, and a boat put off in pursuit. On tl
stern Id I • . l'*'"''"'"' ""' """"■'• "'""'^ ^^e boat at the
stein, and its reaction threw the boat-sieerer overboard. As the
',',':,r;ft7'""""''^«"'' *■"" "<"" "^y""" Ms reach, the dew thilw
...ne of the,, oars toward him for his support, one of which he f < -!
and he fast-bo. t be.ng rapidly drawn away from him, the harpooner
cu the line with the view of rescuing him from his dangerou sTua-
mo ;ifi™u„r.r"'j"" '"r ''°* P"'"™'"' """'• "• 'h-r extreme
mort,fieat,on, they d,scovered, that in consequence of some oars bein.
7" TT" u'"'" *'"'""? ™°"'"'<'' "■"' "tl-^ l^eing broke, »
unshipped by the blow from the fish, one oar only re,Lin d vi h
which, owing to the force of the wind, they in vaL tried to ah
lid nff "T! '"^'" """'"' """■'^'' ^''"'^ ""y ^-oat ft-om the ship
could afford him assistance, though the men strained every nerve Z
he purpose. At length, when they reached him, he was foundlah
,„n.. f "' .m' '^' '"^ ""'' '" "^ t^eplombie condition. His clothes
were frozen hke mail, and his hair constituted a helmet of ice He
was immediately conveyed into the cabin, his clothes Lken off. fis
ft
152
fi«A Atfb lAm).
\w'
limbs and body dried and well rubbed, and a cordial administered. A
dry shirt and stockings were then put on him and he was laid in the
Captain's bed. After a few hours' sleep he awoke and appeared con-
siderably restored, but complained of a painful sensation of cold.
He was, therefore, removed to his own state-room and his messmates
ordered to lie on each side of him, whereby the diminished circulation
was accelerated, and the animal-heat restored. The shock on his con-
stitution, however, was greater than anticipated and it was with
difficulty he was finally restored, his reason for some time threatening
to give way."
DASHED TO PIE0E8 BY A WHALE.
A dreadful accident happened to a boat crew belonging to the Airri'
well, by which three men from a single boat were drowned, though
help was near at hand. A large whale being sighted in a Greenland
sen, a boat containing seven men was put off and the whale was soon
struck. But instead of sinking immediately, as is usual when receiv-
ing a wou d, the whale only dived for a moment and then rose again
beneath the boat, struck it a vicious blow with its tail, dashing it sev-
eral feet into the air, and then disappeared. The wrecked crew clam-
bered onto the bottom of the boat, which was now upturned, but the
lines became fouled, so that as the whale swam off it rolled the boat
repeatedly over, throwing the men time and again into the water.
Four of them, after each immersion, recovered themselves and clung
to the boat, but the other three were less fortunate, and drowned be-
fore the assistance that was fast approaching reached them. The four
men being rescued and conveyed to the ship, the attack on the whale
was renewed, and two more harpoons were stuck into it. But the
whale manifested the most furious disposition, churning the sea into
foam by terrific lashings of its tail, apparently feeling for the boat,
which, however, escaped the blows. The crew, fearing for their lives,
abandoned the attack, only too glad that the whale did not follow up
'ts advantage and destroy the boat*
A similar accident happened to a boat crew of the Henrietta. A
fish which was struck very near the ship, by a blow of its tail stove u
small hole in the boat's bow. Every one of the crew, in trying to
escape the blows, rushed onto one side of the boat and upset it. They
all clung to it while it was bottom-side up, but the line having become
4. I^J J.-i i-U^ i-I ,*= 3J 1 A' i^a. 1 14- ""-1 — "*•«• -i
Cijluii^l6u iii ine LiiwariS, ssuuucuiy Uicn- tu6 uwut uiiuci -.Taici, aiiu
with it a part of the crew, so that when assistance reached the spot
four out of the six that were in the boat were drowned.
MYSTERIES OF THE DEEP 8EA. . ^^^
to her destruction. Thov wflr« IZ r ^ ^"""» *''^ "^"^^er
the hoats wore unable to keep pace with her <!„ v
liar,.o„ner „n this „eea»i<.n ,,Jfinv ,,':':. S=''«'sby was himself
Jte same circle all the .in,;; he;^::;?.,'^"^^, 'V"^ """'''"^ '"
-a. Of ,etti„, a Wahle o:.^X^:t:^:^:^^
IH
BKA AND LAND.
joon put to It to save himself. The whale spied the boat, rtnd with a
malicious flaunt of her tail, drove it skyward and broli*^ out fifths:,
square feet of the bottom, so that it speedily sunk and ll)o new were
left struffgling in the water. Fortunately, assistance was near at hand,
and none were drowned, but the whale made good its escape.
FEROCITY OF THE WHALE.
Scoresby relates another incident of a whale attacking a ship's boat
as follows : . , , •
♦« A remarkable instance of the power which the whale possesses in
its tail, was exhibited within my own observation in the year 1807.
On the 29th of May a whale was harpooned by an officer belonging to
the Resolution. It descended to a considerable depth, and on its re-
appearance evinced an uncommon degree of irritation. It made such
a display of its luis and tail that few of the crew had courage to ap-
proach it. The captain (my father) obsei-ving their timidity, called a
b.)at, and himself struck a harpoon. Another boat immediately fol-
lowed, and unfortunately advanced too far. The tail was agan,
reared into the air in a terrific attitude, the impending blow was evi-
dent; the harpooner, who was directly underneath, leaped overboard,
and the next moment the threatened stroke was impressed on the
cente- of the boat, which buried it in the water. Happily no one was
injured. The harpooner who leaped overboard, escaped certain death
by the act, the tail having struck the very spot on which he stood.
The effects of the blow were astonishing. The keel was broken, the
..unwales and every plank, excepting two, were broken through, and
ft was evident that the boat would have been completely divided had
not the tail struck directly upon a coil of lines. The boat was ren-
dered useless." , , ^ . a
(Japtain Lyons, of the Roith, while engaged in the whale fishery off
the Labrador coast discovered a large whale spouting at some dis-
tance from the ship. Four boats were immediately lowered in pur-
suit, two of which kept so closely togetherthatthey both reached the
whale at the same time and cast their harpoons simuU-meously. The
fish sounded, but soon raised directly beneath one of the approaching
boats, striking it so violently with its head that the boat, men and
tackle were thrown fully fifteen feet into the air. It was^inverted by
the stroke and fell back bottom upward. Fortune fuvofcu a., the niev.
save one, who became entangled in the lines in the boat and was
drowned, all the others were picked up by the fourth boat uninjured.
HTSTBRIEB OP THE DEEP SEA. ivf,
"*"""'' °' *"•'■■ •«>"• IM Plioia.
All old whaler, who dolighte to dwell upon the mnnv wild nd..n
tu,.e, wh,ch ho has participated i„. relates'the followio^ ^LflZ
In one „f my earliest voyages I remarked a circumstance which
.xci ed my h,ghc»i astonishment. One of the harpo„„e,rstr ck a
Sboath'f '-r' "" "■«"»-'"•(? '-"■"« ^-i collected .„,dl
tat boat before it rose to the surface again. The first boat f„ll„
.he harpoon-line. approached' the vertical posufon w t 'o tw; .'^
he lea t caution. Suddenly the whale rose with unl,H.ked-fr vi^
lence directly beneath the boat, which was hurled, together Wth t
crew, nearly a dozen yards high. The boat fell upon its side ,,ro
c ting the men into the water, but fortum-Mv only one of hem w"'
injured, and all were rescued." ^ "
It is related that in 1804 the ahlD >.'*. ,v „„ .1, .t
engaged a large sperm-whale o« tf^.t "; K; ,taUti7S
the animal became so anffered ihu* u^ »-4 c»'«im, m wnicn
boats, several of the LnTeTng d^wS^ '"' "■" '"^'"^^'' "''"'
tl,r'ti.''''^:i''^"'"' ''*™ g!™". I believe, will be conclusive evidence
that, though destitute of weapons, the whale is not destitute of cZ
ge, but that, appreciating the power of its momentum and L7m
tail. It not infrequently boldly attacks bouts and ships with dislsirous
PHVeiOAL OURIOSITIES OF THE WHALE.
•„,: *^T^'?>.^ '''"''° '' ''™'''"*<' <" '»»"■ i" ""'•cr jaw, hut nature
nas provided them with numerous horny lamina, attached to th!
:r r;i:;nttittr'rr'''/r'''"^ """•- <' ^^
whl T } "''' *"'' '"'■'''' ""^ «"»"'»'• proof that the
luh food ""' '"""' '"•""' *" '"'"'"'■^« "- -'-■ fit is eii;.»ed
The lamhlK, baleen, or whale-bone, as it i. most generally called
IS a m,«t wonderful provision of nature, consideriifg "he ser i e t'
-vb, h ,t ,, employed by the animal. Though of eolo»^,l ' Le ti"^
-vhale feeds upon very small fish, as heietofwe descritd 11 ThVl^
capacity being hardly large enough to admit a ma 'tt ' s„ ^^e
.a animal must needs consume a great ouantiiv nf /L l!^^
wouu be utterly unable to secure but fo; the baleen 'wi.h'w'hlch'i;
mouth ,s provided. This whalehone-so called. . . u^ nl'rt ly
-i> attached to the upper jaw and is of . variable leiigtl, to ZLm
i
m
156
to the n
small ii
or othe]
the 8 nit
of the r
out of t
the blov
vided wi
son for ^
An oi'(
oil, and 1
sistentlj
species, 1
the numl
it is proj]
The sp
cetl, funi
termed ai
intestines
iug in th^
weiofht, b
whale. J
morbid s(
whale, bu!
mains to 1
whales ki
noticed to
ive, strons
A large,
by whalers
and covert
tains a sect
congeals ii
ceti. Its s
fiequently
In calm
proachlnor t
hearinij. I
MY8TEBIE8 OV THE DEEP SEA. 15;
of the mouth a practical proof that the engulfed water does If ^?^
out of the whale's blow-holes while fecdhi.r t\! ku, ^^'
the blow-holesis for resniratior AM f ^* J ^'"^''''^ "'^ ^'^
videdwith baleen; nfTZX^t^Z^''^^^^
c^,, f - 1 • . ' '" ^''*^'^' t"e (xeenland whale a one has it the rfln
son for which is not thoroughly understood.
fi.stently The sperm-whale is really more valuable than a /o hpr
e :;i :rH""' ^"^ ^^^^^^^^^^ ^'^-"-«^ d.sease,LnrcVa y r
ive,htiong and courageous with other whales. 4"aiiy act-
HOW THE WHALE 18 KILLED.
bythX^tho Lt""' f"' f"-'^ '" "'° "i*' «'<■<' "' ""> '"""i. -lied
158
SEA ASV LAND.
instead of oars, by which means they quietly come near enough to use
the harpot)n. When first struck, a whale almost invariably "sounds,"
or descends perpendicularly to an astonishing depth, taking out some;
times five thousand feet of line. But he must come to the surface in
half an hour to breathe, when he is again harpooned, only to sound
again. This he continues to do until his strength is wasted by fatigue
and loss of blood, when he no longer goes down, but swims rapidly
along the surface, towing the boats that may be fast to him. If the
whale does not turn, the boats are brought gradually nearer by draw-
ing in the line, until they come within striking distance with a lance,
when he is soon killed.
These animals generally traverse the seas in numerous herds, some-
times as many as two or three hundred being together. Old whalers
affirm that they acknowledge a leader, alv/ays a patriarchal bull, who
8>v:ms some distance in advance and gives the signal of flight orcom-
ba bv uttering a noise something like a muffled great bell. AccortI -
ing ,c Mr. Boale, the sperm-whale can remain under water for an
hour ^.rrd a quarter, and can move at a velocity of five miles an hour,
hie oiaary speed being half that. When swimming at its greatest
ve <y)il^t it rapidly rises and depresses its enormous tail, which is lat-
era. ^'ith the body; the body following this motion, alternately
emerg93 from and plunges into the sea. At each impulsion it rises
from twenty to thirty -five feet out of the water.
Unlike the Greenland whale, the sperm-whale has a throat with
capacity sufficient to admit a man, and its lower jaw is armed with
forty-two powerful teeth of conical shape^ which fit into depressions
in the upper jaw. Notwithstanding its large throat and formidable
teeth, the sperm-whale finds its food among small fishes, though it
mays occasionally, devour some larger flesh, particularly the dead
bodies of considerable sized habitats of its element.
THRILLING ADVENTURES WITH WHALES.
Captain Bellair, of the ship Independence^ tells the following story
of a serious adventure which befel hii and some of his crew while
whaling in the South Pacific: The custom in pursuing whales is to
keep a look-out in the crow's-nest — a scaffold erected at the first splic-
ing of the mainmast — where, being considerably elevated, a whale
can be seen, when spouting, several miles distant. On the occasion
referred to the lookout sighted a sperm-whale, and two boats were
sent o«t to effect its capture* While these boats wens absent another
MYSTERIES OP THE DEEP SK4. jjg
whale blowed very near the vessfil nn/i ;« w
J J .1 J "-«i mo vessel, ana jn his eaeerness the Pni-kfo;*,
lessel , the whale being now somewhat fatijrued descended to a ^rJt
depth and remained there for several .ninuL. GazTng d„w„ if the
crystal depth, wliere objeets were visible nearly one hundred feet b^
low the surface the Captain was appalled by seeing the whale rs^t
with great rap.d.ty, its mouth widely distended, evidently be^ " "n
dcstroy,„g hu enemies. By a si^iUful manceuv;. the C wa h^' d
just m time to avoid the monster's jaws- the wh.,1. Vl, ] .
a,ai,. and repeated the performance o^f trying o J 1 ^ ,' C bt
w,« agam fo.led. A third time, howeverfthe whde a'.aeked the
boat, and eatchn.g it in his powerful jaws crashed it as be would a>,
egg-shell, leavngthe men nothing .,ut the small fragments To "n"
o. It was now drawing late-in the evening and little hope w, -enta
tamed by any of the unfortunate, that their oompanious couldTnd
and rescue them. Pieces of the boat were allotted to .he men verv
much as sma 1 rations of bread are issued in times of threatred Jter"^
vut,o„; on these they rode the waters, which chanced to be rnHd
h . ir J^r . ^^ * ™' P"'"*''- I" "■« n'e«i>time the other
b«ts had returned to the ship, and the crew fiading their captain and
lem nzrrt'' ''""''"'' "'■' "^"^ -^ -' «»t in«rcho'
them. Fifteen miles at sea is not a great distance but o«;n„ ♦ »u
XstVt'b'T"*"- " '-'^-»" *""" '^ "orvisiblaboTe a /ew
miles and therefore very difficult to find. It was for this reason tZ
.carch was prosecuted until far into the morning !„ beZ he
recked men were discovered, nearly half dead ftomexporu™ o
g m the wa<»r. When taken on board the vessel again not „7e ot
A DREADFUL DEATH.
whl"tLT7 T " ""' "°° •"*■• ""' '"""P""" h"" •««■• struck into a
Whale the utmost ea™ „ust be o,e.ri«d, and it may almost b« JIm
160
that the
to this r.
and catt
instant;
tivoid a
M'halers,
fatal ace
him in tt
"As s
duced m(
Carr ! '
pared, sh
able to ir
us of cm
confused
charge, tJ
long been
ions and,
weather,
whale the
were, ind(
could not
without St
motionless
tack. A 1
Carr was 1
nioeting h
however, f
fish, passir
was jerket
was throwr
tioii so ear
hegan to f
active fello
boat by res
which coulc
and in an |
tho water tc
niiin, who h
11 R
MYSTERIES OF THE DEEP ska ^gi
whalers, and a great Arctic explorer rekt^.fhli n • • """'™ "'
fatal accident that occurred to onTof the !•/ .^ °"'"^ "'""""'« "^ "
him in the North AtlantllT '^ """* ""^ "'"'""§ ""h
"A, soon as the boats came within hailing distance, n,v anxietvin
pared;sh^;:rre:ct:;q;:ardt^^^^^^^^^^^^
long been absent on the outset, b 0.1 p J'j f™'™ T "' '"'
ions and, allured by the chase o/°l , . , ™ ■>«■• <""npan-
weather, the, proeLt^ tt^ ^ar^^'t ^^ / ^ rTp "'xt"
whale they pursued led them.into a vast shoal of the spec es tLv
were mdeed, so numerous that their blowing was incess»rt 1.1 ^K ^
rorrr:^,:::;;-:tr i^-r-t ^-^^^^^^
.o«o„l.swatchi„;^
.sirp^i^i^g e^ :[^:":^ • ;re:r.t;ii::r^^^^^^^^^^^ ■'! ' r r --^
... so ea a tb p^^^ - ~: ■-- ^^^:^^
tho »;<:.; So z^t s "jr'""""' """^ p"'°s<"' •■'■«' -O"
man, who hadbi eyeTn himVtIhrT' ""= """'"* ""''""'y one
^^^ « nis eye on him at the time, was aware of what had
162
SEA A^i) LAlnD.
happened ; so that when the boat righted — which it immediately did —
though half full of water, they all at once, on looking round at the
exclamation of the man who i ?id seen him launched overboard, in-
quired, ♦ What has got Carr It is scarcely possible to imagine a
death more awfully sudden and unexpected."
A MAO WHALE.
Captain Deblois, of the ship Alexander, relates that while whaling
off the coast of Australia, he lost three meml-rs of his crew under
the following distressing circumstances: The look-out rtporteri a
whale nearly two miles from the ship, which one of the large bo:it.s
and eight of the crew were sent out to dispatch. The we sther was
very fine and the animal in no wise timid, so that llh^ boat man came^
up with the whale and a harpoon was speedily struck into it. But
no sooner did he feel toe keen instrument m his back than he tarn* id,
without sounding, ainl made at the boat with the viciousness of a
bull-dog, seized it in his pond; ; uui jnws and crushed nearly evevy
plank in it, at the same time almo.i ;n«f •:aly ki}:;/ig three of the men.
A. second boat, which was started dS'^rl^y ='fier the first, met with the
^ame fate, though none of its crew vv-;va injured. Being apparently
inrtddened, or realizing his power U> destroy his enemies, the whale
ntxl attacked the ship by striking her in the weather-bow, and so
powerful V as the blow that the vessel sank within an hour. Fortu-
nately the straggling crews that had been thrown into the water, were
picked up by ;.^eir companions in three other boats, and they all made
their way to the coast in safety. Four months after this sad disaster
the crew of the ship Bebecca Sims captured a disabled whale in the
same waters. Upon cutting it up they found its head badly damaged
with a laro-e ship-plank buried in its flesh, while from the body they
took two°harpoon8, which were marked, "Ann Alexander." The
proof was thus established that Captain Deblois' desperate antagonist
[had met its fate.
A8TONI8HINO «TRENOTH AHO BNDORANOE OF A WHALE.
An old whaler, in a book now seldom met with, relatesthe following
interesting' account of how he worried a whale and how the whale
worried hfs crew, making one of the fiercest battles ever engaged ni
between man and a cetacean :
*' One of the harpooners belonging to the Besolution, <»f Wh-.tley,
under my command, struck a whale by the edge of a small flfte of ice.
^s^twe Jbeing promptly afforded^ : second .bqM'« }\m "^^e
« MT8TERIB8 OP THF. DEEP SEA. . I63
tance „. the'direetion thTfl htemed to '""Vr"*"' '" '-"»«*-
ter of an hour the fust boat Z ^° '"''"'• ^" «*""' « «"«-
1-"-. As the «i?p t^Xn withfnZe""' "f '""''^ " '«"'> ^<"
ftwrsJ ton-ard the boat w^h l • '""*'" '*"• ™ '"'"""y
plaa,, however, we observed fonr n! °i , ' ?f * "" '^^"^"'^ ""e
Tw-orthrermlLwerat the""" T"' '""=^'^''^ *"' ^^^-ta-"^
stern.which.as:„:ide:l ':,:;";:;'"<' "™ ""*'" ''°" ''^ *"<'
<5owo, while the b„,v of thVboat bv /hi , T."? "' ''^'P'"^ "
do..,, to the level of the sea and fh^ T °^"'° """' '"'^ ''^'"'"
the line round the bollard 1 t '""•P'"'"^'' ^y the friction of
ie,,g.h, when the shlwaf'srrcer''T''i" '"""'^ "''^"""'y- ^t
»eivedp..eparatio„s'Lr;^r;'',°:;„\7''-!r*''i^ta..t.weper-
"•ere cast upon the adjoinine ic! 7h. sudors' pea-jackets
«ewloapedove>board thebowrf h„r! "*'?*''«>"'» <!""". the
Ihe stern rose perpendicuh.lv aT.dlh ^ ""' ^""^ '" ""^ ^t*"-'
harpooner havL rnte^ ,tefj^,d ', ^r ^TW^^^ «"««>• water. The
ring at the boat'f sterol t^^„:ltn:s,':s'"'''r"' '° '"^ ■™''
00 on which was a depth of sever" f: t of w„t 'Ct IT^: ■?'
herefore, put rtL^llTirK.'r; f„r 'r "' •''"■ "r-
but all of them succeeded in L-llr ? . *'""' P'^s'-^ition,
tbey were takenon boll tltCorafte? '"^ '"'' '™"' '""'^^'-
.ix lines or upwtdf 4at i w'TJ'''^ f" "''''"""^ "^ ""« •-<"" ^^^
upwaras, tHat it would need any more.
«' ^oi, 1 U- ^ ™^ PURSUIT
far escaped fro,n „s that we no ,o„^ rji*'l .Ttt'.fr.." '««'. »
to tills we set all the sail fV,^ oK- °" -;;•"-« "!=^ uoldof iij owing
through sevemlnarZ a w? '°"^^ «afely sustain, and worked
«4, -=;;r»":i-xrsr.%'r;r.-4;-
164
BE A AND LAND.
descried by the people in the boats at a considerable distance to he
eastward; a general chase immediately commenced, and vithin the
space of an hour three harpoons were struck. We now imagined the
fish was secure, but our expectations were premature. The whale res-
olutely pushed beneath a large floe that had recently been broken to
pieces by the swell, and soon drew all the lines out of the second fast
boat, the officer of which, not being able to get any assistance, tied
the end of his line to a hummock of ice, and broke it. Soon after-
ward, the other twoboats, stxW fast, were dragged against the broken
floe, when one of the harpoons drew out. The lines of one boat,
therefore, remained fast to the fish, and this, with six or eight lines
out was dragged forward into the shattered floe with astonishing
force Pieces of ice, each of which was sufficiently large to have
answered the purpose of a mooring f«.r a ship, were wheeled around
by the strength of the whale ; and such was the tension and elasticity
of the line, that whenever it slipped clear of any mass of ice, after
turnin- it round into the space between any two adjoining pieces,
the bolt-and its crew flew forward through the crack with the velocity
of an arrow, and never failed to launch several feet upon the first
mass of ice it encountered. , . ,
- While we scoured the sea around the broken floe, the whale con-
tinued to press forward in an easterly direction toward the sea At
length, when fourteen lines (10,080 feet), were drawn from the four h
fasF boat, a slight entanglement of the line broke it at the stem. The
fish then again made its escape, taking along with it a boa and
twenty-eight lines, of 720 feet each, the united l«°gtb^^«'"f '''^f
yards or upwards of 3| miles ; value, with the boat, $750. The ob-
struction of the sunken boat to the progress of the fish must have
been immense, and that of the lines also considerable, the weight of
these latter alone being thirty-five hundred pounds.
«* So lon^ as the fourth fast boat, through the medium of its lines,
retained its'hold of the fish, we searched the adjoining sea with the
ship in vain ; but in a short time after the line was divided, we got
sight of the object of our pursuit at the distance of near two miles
to the eastward of the ice and boats, in the open sea. One boat only
^5.1, l-«- and two empty boats were reserved by the ship. Having,
however, fortunately fine weather and a fresh breeze, we immediately
aave chase under all sail; though, it must be confessed, with small
hope of success, considering the distance of the fish and the rapidity
MYSTERIES OF THE DEEP SEA. 165
Of its flight At length, after pursuing five or six miles, being at
least nine m, e« from the ph.ce it was struck, we came up ;ith it,Ld
It seemed inclmed to rest after its extraordinary exertio.k The two
dismantled or empty boats, having been furnished with two lineseach
-a very madoquate supply-they, together with one in a good state
of equipment, now made an attack upon the whale. One of the har-
pooners n.ade a blunder ; the fish saw the boat, took alarm and again
fled. I now supposed it would be .seen no more; nevertheless, we
chased nearly a mile in the direction I imagined it had t-.ken aid
placed the boats to the best of my judgment^ in the most l^tnlage.
AN EXCITING PURSUrf.
ou» situations. In this case we were extremely fortunate. The fish
ro.o near one of the boats, and was immediately harpooned. In a
ew m„„,ents two more harpoons entered its hack, and lances wer
apphod agamst .t w.tl, vigor and success. Exhausted by its amazin.
efforts to escape, ,t yielded itself at length to its fate, received he
P^rcmg wounds of the lances without resistance, an^ finally did
Without a stni<r«1r. Tlw^oj-p-^,,- ^.--1 •,, aii/uieu
v.h.} I . u ~'^'; .,'. '° ^^^""saLca with success an attack upon a
ttZT '"*'' 1'° - St uncommon determination to escape
from .t, pursuers, seconded „y the most astounding strength of any
166
8BA AND LAND.
individual I ever witnessed. The quantity of line withdrawn from
the different boats engaged in the capture was .singularly great. It
amounted, altogether, to 10,440 yards, or nearly six Englisb miles.
Of these, thirteen lines were lost, together with the sunken boat."
AN EXTRAORDINARY INCIDENT IN THE CAPTURE OF A WHALE.
Scoresby relates the following incident >efer to give in
his own words, without comment:
*'It ia very generally believed by wlialors that fish have occasion-
ally been struck wiiieh, by a sudden f :tension or heave of the body,
have instantly disengaged themselves from the harpoon. This case
usually happens when the whale is struck with a * slack back,' as
that position of the fish is denominated in which t! i.uy:,a., u ing
depressed, the flesh is relaxed. A harpoon then struck, occasions an
uncommon wound. Hence, if the fish suddenly extends itself, and
elevates its back, the wound jnpears twice the size of the harpoon,
and consequently the weapon is capable of being thrown out by a
jerk of the body. Unde» such circumstances as these, a large whale
•was struck by a harpoontr belonging to the ship llowe^ of Shields
On the fish extending and lifting its back with uncommon violence,
the harpoon was disengaged and pri jected high into the air, when, at
the same moment, the fish rolled over upon its back, and received the
point of the falling weapon in its belly, whereby it was entangled and
caught I This circumstance, romantic as it may appear, is so well
authenticated by the periion who struck tho fish, together with others
who were in the boat at the time and were witnesses of the fact, that
I have no scruple in introducing it here."
KNOCKINQ A BOAT SKY- HIGH -THRILLING INCK:>ENT.
Sir Samuel Baker, who scenes to have had a passion for the sea
almost equal to his love for wild and ■ i^xplor^d lau' , has given
a very excellent description of a whale-huni, in which he i^articipated,.
which is worthy of transcription here, as follows :
**Itwa8 not long before the Sophia entered upon hfr promise 1
hunting-grounds. During a calm night a sound of 'bK- zing' had
been heard in various directions, and at sunrise upon th^ -allowing
morning the ship found herself in water of alight g''^n co^or, which
suggested shallotvs. The deep-sea lead was at on- o and the
soundings gave a depth of six hundred and sevent at! os — four
thousand and twenty fret. The peculiar color of lue sea was occd-
fioned by the presence of innumerable living organisms which form<
MYSTERIES OP THE DEEP BEA.
167
oe no doubt of their
the favr,rite food for whales, and there couk
presence.
directed the attention of all hands to a jet of steam about J n. l^-
water, .p„. wu... A„aa";L^r„„t ur rre^iro.:.'
of the »pec,es-,t was a large shoal „f sperm-whales S IT T
were lowered without a moment's delay, Ld hardt had h , I
r^P..^ TK ^ . '^ ^ ^ "' ^" ' ^hich fell upon the dood-
de k. The next instant the whale, which must have mistaken th«
sperm-whal.. are seldom witnessed by human beina, T^ •
good order ,.. -hale-ashing, as the fur " o1.t b2 Z^Z
wafer cou d be ..edmtely detected. Without any previous warn
.ng, except the udden pearance of the whale's head iuTdTerTbcd"
an itnm(>n>«n enoi-m ..,i i a. . "^a^* juoi, uv/HcriDca,
e«raordiryr,:Cwhief:.^^^^^^^^^^^
the tad appeared to be quite teu ort.elve f^et clear of thl ",ter
Se .rthr'm::' !"■■':,'■";,■'''«' ^-""^ »f ">« vessel, and f ron e^^^,
■« o ^ "• *'"',''"♦"""' ™^ -PParently less than this eof ..u-
t, tion. So great was the exe.tion, and so unwieldv w«, H,.
splii h that might have been heard two miles seating a
;
" In a short tinriA fhaicio/i:..~i i. ....
«,u 1 ... . "Ox. .5 uuut was witma a iiundred vards nf *lio
«onoi""t' t"™'""*"'^""' '"°'""8' "-floating with a smaU po'!
boo of ,ts back above the surfaee, apparently "uncocscious of Z
168
BEA AND LAND.
approach of an enemy. The swell was sufficient to conceal both the
approaching boat and the whale alternately, thus rendering the con-
ditions of attack most favorable. The crew, at a signal from tlie
steersman, rowed cautiously, and just dipped their ours noiseles^sly in
the wafor. The harpooner stood up in the bow and slowly raised his
arm. He was a powerful man, with broad, musciiliir shoulders, and
his up-lifted hand grasped the harpoon and prepared for a deadly
cast.
*♦ The boat was now within fifteen yards uf the whale's back ; it was
evidently one of the largest size. One steady, long, but quiet stroke
had given the boat sufficient momentum to complete the approach, and
she glided noiselessly but swiftly through the water, while the crew
rested on their oars, ready to bn k-water immediately upon the order
being given, when the harpooner should have delivered his harpoon.
Every breath was held ; the whale's back was not more than ten feet
distant, when the weapon flew from the harpooner's hand just as the
whale, having discerned the enemy, gave a convulsive plunge down-
ward.
BACK! FOR YOUR LIVES I
'••Back water, all I' shouted the steersman, but hardly had the
oars obeyed the command when a tremendous blow from the whale's
tail struck it from beneath, and the next instant the boat, with its en-
tire crew, was dashed completely out of the water and fell half in-
verted, split from end to end, while ours, lines, harpoons, lances and
all the numerous appliances were scattered here and there, together
with the men, some of whom were swimming, while others clung for
safety to their oars.
•'The third boat had lost no time in pulling with all the might of her
powerful and excited crew in the direction which it was supposed the
whale had taken, while the boat which had picked up the disabled
crew immediately hoisted the flag as a signal that a whale was •fast.'
The addition of eight men hampered the action of the boat, but some
sat down in the bottom, while others assisted at the oars as they best
could, and endeavored to save all the floating debris of their damaged
boat, which was bottom uppermost. This was quickly effected, and
they were considering whether they should right the inverted boat and
take it in tow, or whether they should join in the pursuit with the ad-
vanced boats, and afterwards return to save their wreck, when it sud-
denly disappeared with a jerk and was seen no more. The whale had
MYSTERIIM or tlTK DtJEP 8BA. 169
been traveling during the last few minutes at a furious rate, and the
line which had remained within the boat had run out to a great length
until It became tangled in the thwarts ; the boat was then at once
dragged beneath the surface. This was a natisfactorv proof that the
harpoon was holding fast, and accordingly the double crew exerted
every effort to continue the chase.
♦• The leading boat was now a quarter of a mile ahead, and it was ex-
pected that the whale would quickly reappear, as the resistance of the
water to the sunken boat that was now dragging would cause great
exhaustion. °
STRUCK, BUT ONLY MADDENED.
- Upon looking toward the advanced boat they perceived an altera-
tion in Its course, and almost immediately after they observed the
spouting of a whale upon the right, toward which the boat was steer
SOUNDING,
h?;h?l .^ ^'''"^ ^'^° ^"'"^'"^ ^'•°'» the Sophia, another
boat had been immediately lowered, which was hurrying to their
assistance The chase was now at its height, and the excitfment was
ntense. It was impossible for the boat with fifteen men to arrive in
ri r' vu'^n'"'"^*^''''^"'"' toward which the advance boat
va pushing with all possible haste, but they might still be of service.
In the meantime the leading boat had arrived within harpooning dis-
ance; presently her flag was hoisted, which announced a successful
ca; the whale had once more dived, having two harpoons fixed.
The direction of the whale was unceitrJn, as it had 'plumbed' the
waitedinthe hnii« nf «iaco..ir;..^ fu-i. .. ^ -^
__^ ..^..c.ji.xg tHai, peculiar oiiy streak upon the
ee. which denotes the traek of a wounded whale. reLbling the wat
of a vessel m calm weather. In the meantime the crowded boaf.
170
SEA AND LAND.
crew were pulling: hard to close with their more fortunate companions.
Suddenly they observed the wrecik of their own boat floating at a
couple of hundred yards distance; steering toward it they shortly
arrived, and felt beneath it with a boat-hook to discover whether the
line was still fast or had become detached. * • ♦ The line
was there; but it was supposed that the harpoon had retracted, or that
in some manner the whale hud broken loose. The experienced har-
pooner at once made fust another line before he cut the entangled end
adrift from the wrecked boat. Fortunately he hud tuken this precau-
tion, for almost at the same moment the line became taut and com-
menced running out at the rate of about six miles an hour. There was
no longer any doubt that the whale was still fast, but its first impulsive
rush had been expended, and it was now traveling at a slower rate.
They signaled to the other boat, which immediately pulled toward
them, and shortly arrived within speaking distance. The whale was
•plunibing' steadily into a profound depth. A third line was made
fast, and the enormous creature seemed to sink like a leaden plum-
met, as though determined upon reaching the deepest bottom of the
ocean.
♦♦ By this time the extra boat had arrived from the Sophia, and the
crew were oi-dered to pull far ahead in a direction where it was ex-
pected that the whale would evrerj^e when it should be forced to once
more seek the surf ."e. The line ceased to run, and for a few min-
utes an inexperienced person would have imagined that nothing alive
was attached. Presently it again moved, but slowly, and at a distanceof
about half a mile a long, greasy lane or track was plainly discernible.
Upon this track the foremost boat was pulling at best speed, thehar-
pooner standing in the bow in expectation of a rise. At once the
fast boats began to coil in slack line as they pulled toward the lead<
ing boat. A jet of spray suddenly burst from the sea only a few
yards uhead ; almost at the same instant the harpoon was dexterously
thrown, and once more the whale was struck and forced to dive be-
fore it had inhaled a sufficient volume of fresh air."
TKE BATTLE OONTINUE8.
The boats now closed together and followed cautiously in the direc-
tion which the whule had taken. The line was run out to its extreme
length, and another had been added; this also was insufficient, and a
third had been made fast when, after about twenty minutes' interval,
tb« wbal« rose once more and emitted a long jet of spray tinged with
MYSTERIES Of THE DEEP SEA. 17J
blood. The boats now shot swiftly forward, the men straining every
nerve m the exciting race, as the whale was evidently exhausted, and
they hoped to arrive sufficiently near to attack it with their lances,
nie boat that had been dispatched from the Sophia was the first to
raach the spot, but just as the harpooner prepared to deliver his cast
the wliale again headed downward, and the broad-fluked tail dashed
tae water ,nto the air and descended upon the surface with a smack
that narrowly missed the boat, which had fortunately backed water
and escaped by only a few feet. The sea around was tinged with
blood, and the bleeding would be increased at the depth to which the
whale had ' plumbed,' owing to the great pressure of the water
- The exhausted creature did not appear to be traveling forward, but
had merely dived vertically to an enormous depth as though seeking
for safety below from its enemies upon the water. Upward of four
hundred fathoms of line were hanging almost perpendicularly as
though the deep-sea lead was suspended at the bottom * • •
Half an hour had passed and no movement had been perceptible in
the nies, which were now hauled taut, as it was supposed that the
whale had died in the profound depth to which it had retreated. The
crews of each boat hauled awtiy upon the lines until the bows of their
hoats dipped low upon the water, but no movement responded to the
stram, and it seemed as though they were fast to a mass of rock,
buddealy the lines slackened at the same moment, and in a few min-
utes an immense whale emerged from the sea about two hundred
yardsm advance; after blowing the usual jet of spray it commenced
the mos violent lashings with its tail, driving the water into foam
and creating a series of loud reports that could be beard at a great
wh cir^ni r 7>-l>-hed ahead and quickly reached the whale,
wh.ch still convulsively thrashed the water in a manner that rendered
an approach exceedingly dangerous. Another harpoon was thrown
and imbedded its barbed head more than a foot deep in the yieldin<^
blabber bu this time the exhausted monster remained upon the sur"
face instead of taking the usual plunge. The boats now attacked
upon either side and, keeping just behind the head, and well forward
oftho dangerous tail, which was spasmodically thrashing the water
into breaking waves the crew drove their long lances deep into the
.i^il^n' Vr "'uT'l '" 'P^""' ^""^ ''^P^"*^^ ^^^'-^ thrusts until the
t:::l:':jtll^''''^' faster by degrees. At length all was still ,
172
8EA AND LAND.
m.
*« It was ^ splendid specimen of a bull sperm-whale, measuring about
seventy-two feet in length, and the hunt had lasted upward of four
hours from the time the first harpoon was fixed until the death.'*
(J
0
z
THK WORK OF BUTCHERINQ A WHALE.
The death struggles of a whale are something awful to see, for the
great leviathan fights death with a power uo other living thing can
are to estimj
with some e:
MT8TERIES OF THE DEEP SEA. 173
equal. Its mad plunges, wild lashing of its immense tail, the flan-
s^S tTn;; "' ''^^"'"t'"^' ''' rollingcontortions of its men:
of blood d;y e the ocean to a crimson deep, and swirling eddies gather
vast quantises of foam, all attest the immeasurabi: power ff th;
monster. When its energies are finally expended the whale turrsder
on Its back displaying a very mountain of silver white an/ thll
fix ropes to its tail and tow it along side the shTn fn tt n I
culting up The first operation, if it be a Greenland whale i. to
.ecre the baleen, whieh is a very difficult job, owing to the'thck
hd horny substanee which has to be separited from 'he iw Id
which even the heaviest and sharpest instrlents cancut but sbwH
The next work, called flensing, though not so hard, is very mucilore
dsagreeable. A number of sailors, having shaip spikeT on their
s oes to prevent slipping, descend onto the body, and wkh shar^ ,7
struments hke spades, begin cutting through the blubbrr and sZrlt-"
.ng It into great squares of a half-ton weight each. These pieces a^
or.e.7rarp-r^
American ports and sold to dealers who rendered it, bu durin. Iat!r
tee puie oil. It IS also customary now tu take the jaw bones on deck
od there detach the baleen, instead of breaking o cut'r t o„f be
tore flensing, as wa» formerly practiced. "
The amount of oil ^ridded by the whale is most surprisine ■ a whal«
of seventy tons gross weight will yield nearly thirty-five to"fs"oL™?t
one-half Its weight. In this, however, we behold a wonderful mo
ision of nature, for his thick coat of blubber enablerthe wh ,e W
w :;: prtfroTttr"! -" '"^r ""- »°^""'- --tb.i:
te ted 1 Ithlu "h tl T r """" ""'^'' ""y™™*! "ot thus pro!
tectea. Although the whale is monstrous in size it i« nnf ,„i.k i
cemies, which pursue it to the death only ti eat Us „ngue „ h"a"n
e iiy IS the grampus, and the only means of escape left tl ^ what's
fcj' descending to dqrths wh.re this fish cannot approach
^ The whale does not attuiu its maximum of growth under tw.„»„_
".«jx,-^..''na iialumlists believe it lives two hundred veare "iTL"
...to estimate th -, whale's longevity by its size, a rule which'app ies
mth some exceptions, to animal creation, it m„at reach an age Sfiv^
174
SBA AKD LAND.
'I'
hundred, or more, years, but as they cannot be kept in captivity, it
will probably never be known what age they attain.
The flesh of the whale is red, like a salmon's, and nearly as firm,
but very coarse. To those who first eat it the taste is nauseating, not
wholly unlike cod-liver-oil, and I doubt that any but an Esquimau
can acquire a liking for it. The Esquimaux not only eat whale-flesh
with a keen relish, but drink the oil with avidity. Whale-tongue,
however, is said to be very palatable; indeed, at one time it was
regarded as a royal dish, fit only for kings to dine on.
Tromholtv in his late work on Lapland and the customs cf the peo-
ple of that country, describes the manner in which Lapps pursue the
whale as follows :
** The whaling steamers are specially constructed, and measure from
eighty to one hundred feet in length, with powerful engines, but their
most interesting feature is the gun by,which the whales are harpooned
and killed. It is mounted on a platform right in the stem, so that it
can be turned in all directions. To this novel piece of artillery be-
longs a shaft, which is inserted into the gun, leaving a small portion
outside the muzzle, carrying four movable hooks pointing to the gun
and placed crosswise, each about eight inches long. In front of these
a large iron ball, or shell, with steel point, is aflSxed, which v filled
with an explosive. On the shaft runs an iron ring, to which a cable
is attached about the thickness of an arm, which, when the shaft is
inserted in the gun, is run up close to the muzzle end, where it is se-
cured by a cord. When suflSciently near the animal the gun is pointed
at one of the softer parts of the body, the fuse lighted, and the ter-
rible projectile launched into the whale. The tremendous jerk of the
rope is diminished somewhat by the cord holding the ring breaking,
which thus runs up to the top of the shaft. As soon as the wounded
animal makes the first pull at the cable, the hooks on the shaft spring
into a horizontal position, by which action, through an ingenious
mechanism, the shell is fired and explodes with such force that death
is almost instantaneous.
OUTTINO UP A WHALE.
*
"When the whale is stranded," says Tromholt, *'the process ot
cutting up begins, by means of large knives fixed on long sticks.
When the fin is cut out and detached, the blubber is cut through to
the flesh, in strips about a foot wide, running from head to tail, and
p^e end of a chain being fastened to the tail-eucj, each pjoe is torn off in
MTSTBEIE6 OF THE DEEP SEi. , 1«
tun. by the steam-engine, the knives assisting in the process Th.
ne,t stjage .» the .emoval of the thin. bea„tif„l\yer of n uscTeJ whTch
he on the bellj ^tween the blubber and the flefh, whi.h L done bv
he same agency. The fleshy parts in the jaw are hen cut away and
the tongue fulls out, which is so soft that It trembles at tl e Stest
touch and ,f one steps on it, the boots sink to the a Lies ° The
mouth .s now open and one can see the baleen platesTn the' uont
,.w. Final y, the breast and belly are opened. During he time this
oecomes a kind of animal volcano ; dreadful smells rush violcntlv
hrough every fissure, while columns of Wood and dirt are thrown ™J
hk ,nterm,ttent geysers. It roars and wheezes in the carcasl a if
.steam-e„gn,e were at work inside, while jets of steam ascend fTom
ion finished the trunk of the Hnimal is removed, the flesh 0031^
from the body, cut to pieces, and the fat rem„v;d by boiliflJ The
^njauis are then dried and pulverized and sold as gnan, ttileihe
blubber and fat are melted to oil. I consider that the fles ofthe
whale, the least productive part, ought to be put to a better teha„
T^ 1- L L i. T 6 » "* v,wu.at5, II couia not be compared to t, ip fiAaf
English beef I, as well as my friends who tasted it. a'reed that
we had tasted worse. Dried, pulverized and preservld i^ t!^, 'f
far Himari/tf f» <u„ a • I'le^eivea in tins, it is
tar superior to the American pemmican, and when it is considered
what en,un,„us quantities of this excellent flesh are to be h^id and itt
low price. It IS to be wished that the population in these pal"™,
:rh:^ r ;;:'i!::g'-"''=™ "-- - -« -- — - '^^^
ladies, hnvin.... u . . w.mun s iioat is manned by
we. The harpooner singles ,,.t , whale, and drives .his xeS<m
176
SEA AND LAND.
into the flesh. To the harpoon an inflated seal-skin is attached by
means of a walius-hide thong. The wounded fish is then incessantly
harrassed by men in the kayaks with harpoons, a number of which,
when attached to the whale, baffle its efforts to escape, and wear out
its strength until, in the course of a day, the whale dies of sheer
exhaustion and loss of blood.
«* The harpooner, after a successful day's sport, is a very great per-
sonage, and is invariably decorated with the Esquimau order of the
blue ribbon, that is, he has a blue line drawn down his face over
the bridge of his nose."
FIQHT BETWEEN A WHALE AND GRAMPUS.
Commodore Wilkes gives the following description of a fight he
witnessed between a grampus and a whale: ♦« At a distance from the
ship a whale was Keen floundering in a most extraordinary manner,
lashing the i^raooth sea into a perfect foam, and endeavoring
apparedtly to extricate himself from some annoyance. As he
approached the ship, the struggle continuing and growing more vio-
lent, it was perceived that a fish, seemingly about twenty feet long,
held him by the jaws, his contortions, spouting, and throes, all be-
tokening the agony of the huge monster. The whale now threw him-
self at full length from the water with open mouth, his pursuer still
hanging to the jaw, the blood issuing from the wound and dyeing the
sea to a distance around; but all his flounderings were of no avail,
his pertinacious enemy still maintaining his hold and evidently
getting the better of him. Much alarm seemed to be felt by the
other whales around .
" These • killers,' as they are called, are of a brownish color on the
back, and white on the belly with a white dorsal fin. They attack a
whttle in the same manner as dogs bait a bull, and worry him to
death. They are armed with strong, sharp teeth, and generally seize
the whale by the lower jaw. It is said that the only part of the huge
monster they eat is the tongue. The whalers give wonderful accounts
of these * killers' and afirm that they have been known to drag a whale
from several boats which were towing it to the ship."
A WHALE'8, DEVOTION TO ITS YOUNQ.
As an illustration of the whale's well-known devotion to its young,
rt...^4-..:.^ .Grt/^.i.«cKv I'olnfofi f.h« fnllnwincr; *« Tn 1811. onfl nf mv har-
v,'aj-?«.cxjsi t_'^-^-! ■< J --.- — _ - • — ^.
pooners struck a sucker (a Avhale's young) with the hope of leading
to the capture of the mother. Presently she arose close to the fast
MYSTERIES OP THE DEEP SEA. 1 jyy
surface, darted furiously to and fro frl^' .;*«'"■'»'■» "'ose to the
suddenly ohauged her di^oL„r.„d gayfeCll K^^^^^^^^ "
extreme agony. For a UnMh „« *• i ^ Possible intimation of
though pufsued cb^ely bvTbol ^-V'' ""i'""""' '""^ *° ««'•
resolution by her conLrft Wvount' T'"'''.^ with courage and
danger around her. At leu^h oneof T; bT "^"^^"'^ "' «■«
that a harpoon was hove at hfr " t h" but H H ?P«"*<"'«'J » »««
second harpoon was struck, buVshe Refused t le "J,""" """• ^-
staid by it until three harpoons had hi,T . f * ""*' ^"""S^ and
up her life in a vain eflo^Tsl ber yoX"'"''- '"'™ "'"' ^""O"^
fish!'s::it"fi:L:r::dtr'r?" "". '-« «-p-. -op-
iating the sei of its s«at cl^l' if,"" ""P'-^'y ■"■« these depopu-
the skeleton of a whTlin h. "'^'7"""'^^"^'^^ the day when
now excited by the fo:!n i^lit oT;':^:;:'^ """"^"^ '""" ''
Fox-sharks (thrasher.) have teerr„own , T''*''-
fishes in an attack upon a whale Cth k ■ "'""''""• "'*'' »"-
ing any gieat harm bv it« bhiK J^ '"'""' "' '"" <""?"'''« "' do-
tinaeiousfit can w"rrv a whiu ? '"^ ''"'''"^'y '«'«™ ™d Per-
fre,uentlyd„es" Whi^itdV h:lw%:h\?r'°* V"^''^ ''
obtained, for while the whale is dktrm u ''"" '" 'P*^"^
smaller enemy, it leaves its bod^ exposedt thl f^T"'" °' """
greater, and thus soon succumbs *"' **"■"'*' <" «"«
ex«;:;;;oHLtr;;rpren^^^^^^^^^^ -" "- -<' »-
cellent and cheap illuminator ZT ,, } ■ '"*''<'"*»<'tion of that ex.
Whale oil, oonse;enU;r;n Lt;^,Xt'tlt '"' 'r^" '"'
seriously felt. ^ scarcity of tiie animal is not so
12s
178
SUA AND LAND.
CHAPTER XIV.
THE VORACIOUS SHARK.
xS
HE whale, though the largest of all animals, and armed, as some
species are, with extraordinary teeth and a tail capable of
destroying a ship, yet they are fairly harmless compared
W with that monarch of the ocean and terror of the sea, the
Shark. The lion, tiger, elephant and gorrilla combined are n.)t
nearly so dangerous on land as the shark is in the sea, for all land an-
imals flee before man, being terrified by his very presence, but the
shark is undaunted before any foe, and will attack man as quickly as
any beast will its prey.
The shark has an elongated body,, sometimes measuring as much as
thirty-five feet in length, this being the greatest size it attains. Its
large, cavernous mouth is located below the snout and is armed with
six rows above and four rows below, of bristling, compressed and
sharp pointed teeth, which are movable at the creature's will. When
the animal is undisturbed these teeth lay flat upon the palate directed
backward ; or, in other words, remain shut up like a jack-knife ; but
at the moment he pounces upon his prey they are elected, filling the
mouth with weapons that are the very inspiration of terror. A sin-
gular power is exhibited in the shark in his ability to erect one or
more rows of teeth at a time as occasion requires; thus if he attacks a
puny prey only the front row of teeth is used, while a larger may call
for two rows, and for a strong or fierce antagonist his mouth is made
to bristle with teeth from which nothing once caught can possibly
escape. The rough skin of the shark is coveied with a multitude of
bony tubercles ; but in some species these lumps are small and can be
easily reduced by abrading with sand-paper or pumice-stone, and the
skin makes a beautiful shagreen for opera-glass cases and other simi-
lar purposes.
FEROCITY OF THE SHARK.
The white shark often grows to a length of thirty feet ; but it is
rather uncommon to meet with them more than twenty feet long.
The head is broad and somewhat depressed, terminating in a dull
....,„,.,, ^,,^..^^. iHc wjwuui is lairiy nuge, capabie of admitting th(>
bod^ of ft man and still allow room for its large cartilaginous tougi;.',
The eyet
ity, bein
ach is no
like that
vital pari
TheFi
requiem,
in the pr
kegin the
shark swim
him, and in
single snap
not, therefo
other monst
"Freouer
ciew of a b(
tbe voyager
\V
/ HTSTBEIES OF THE DEEP SEA. JJg
The eyes ,ire the very personification of craelty, ™f lines, a„d ,■«,,„.
ity, bei„g „f a groe„i8l, east and peculiarly „t„ ,v Jll Z .'
.eh is „„t „„,y ,a,.ge, but dilatable' to a„ e^lZ^^ieJ^ 2l
Ike that of a suake ; the brai,,, however, is very emaU af 1™ ' n .1
vital parts, and on this account it is verv'- ,rd lo km ' " "" '"'
«;^i!r:;:::rfrf™f:i:,ii:tt;:'?;:"'"^
n.^he presence of tbi.yor„5or^^^^^^^
>.eg,n the requ.em, or recite prayers for the dead. So swiftfy 1, "he
THE WHITE, OR BASKING SHARK.
shark swi™ through the water that no steamer can keep na^e with
l™. and ,n st.-ength he has no equal save alone the .Ti ^ WitT a
»...gle snap „f his powerful jaws he can cut a ™an in two;' w! Lay
ot, therefore, wonder that he is more dreaded by sailors than any
"llicr monster of the monster-haunted deep. ^
"Frequentlv." eovo at... :., <<:.. ., «. , - ..
crew of » h;,:."; i;-' "'""*:"■ ■"' 'le^^esi Indian seas, the negro
Z7ny'.^Tl /"""'' r'"^: ""^ with a significant air indicatfto
tto voyage, the h.deous form of a shark following i» the rear, a.MJ
180
SEA AND LAND.
apparently waiting for some false movement or ptidden '-oident.
which, by capsizing thc^ frail skiff, may piovide ) is ravenous maw
with food. Frequently, too, on tempeFtncus nights, when the wind
and the sea seem to howl a funeral dirge, the shark appears in the
midst of the heaving billows ; the seamen recognize his presence by
the phosphorescence — the elfish light— that glints from his shining
scales, and know that he lusts after a human victim. In tropical
waters he follows the ship with indefatigable patience, ready to swal-
low the unfortunate who may fall overboard, or the dead mariner
whose body is committed to the deep ; for to this voracious creature
the dead and living are equally satisfactory prey.-"
ADVENTURES WITH SHARKS.
The shark is met with in all climates, but it is in the torrid seas that
his ferocity renders him most formidable. With all his power and
valor he has two enemies to dread, though it is doubtful if he really
fears either; these are the great cachelot or sperm-whale, which
wages against him a murderous war, and man, the enemy of all other
created. things. The cachelot is carnivorous, but does not make prey
of the shark, its motive for attacking it apparently being no other
than a desire to rid itself of a rival. The two fight furiously and
always to the death.
So ferocious and fearless is tb<'. shark that it never considers conse-
quences, and though it might r. :;; .-/old its enemy, being much the
swifter swimmer, yet it bears ever savage assault of the whale and
yields only when torn and mangled so that it can fight no more. But it
must not be supposed that the shark is incapable of inflicting injury
upon the whale, for it really bites out great chunks of blubber from
■its monstrous assailant; but the whale's vitals are so protected by its
fat, which is several feet in thickness, that the shark cannot possibly
reach them, and thus the fight is invariably one-sidea„itt favor of the
The fierce joy of a difficult and even dangerous struggle, ithe intense
gratification of conquering a great destroyer, would be sufficient
motives to animate man in hunting the shark ; but, besides, several
useful products are obtained from the monster. His thick, bard skui
is susceptible of a fine polish, and is largely employed in the manufac-
ture of sheaths and instrument cases. His liver yields a large quan-
tity of oil almost identical with that of the cod's, and is a splendid
Jj-essing for skins. The flesh of the shuH^is tough and cannot hp
MY8TERTE8 OP THE DEEP SEA.
181
boiled to tenderness, yet those who have eaten it in extremities say
that Its flavor is not at all uni)leasant.
THE CAPTURE OP A SHARK.
M. C. Piatt in the " Museum of Sciences," thus describes the cap-
ture of a shark in which he was a participaift ;
-A shark of great size, certainly not le.s than thi.ty-five feet in
length, had ventured to draw near our vessel. As we were then be
calmed and had nothing to do, we hailed the pleasant burst of excite-
ment, the agree.ble relief to our monotonous occupations, which he
was hkely to afford us. By way of precauti<,n, and to keep him
occupied. w< flungto himapair of old boots, whichhe con^nentiouslv
swallowed. However, hcrequired as yet no entieemc ;«r while
the calm lasted, and so long as our ship did not make m... than three
or four knot, v r hour, the .hark never stirred from the wake of our
1? !"!*^*u"'^ "^ ^^ ^^""^y' ^'^P""^^^ t« ««« something re<.al
allotted to him. ° "
-While he amuses him , If in plunging and diving in the wake of
the ship everybody ,s in a state of tumult upon deck. We arran.^e
our warlike engnies and make ready for the battle. An enormous
tish-hook 1 attached by means of u bit of iron chain to the extremity
of a long and stout cable. The bait is a large piece of pork, just such
another piece as the monster has already swallowed, while it lay
soaking in the sea water in readiness for the crew's dinner
'At length all is ready. The captain holds in his grasp a well-
greased harpo<u. ; the slip-knots of the cable glide will, complete ease
andaredisposedwithin reach of the hand. Evervbody has collected
tishin' Cr '''^''' ^'°'' ^^' ^^"^ ^"*° *^" '^^ ^°^ *!»«
"The 8hark now ceases to plun-e and wheel about the ship ; he
smels the bait and lazily swim, toward the floating piece of p;rk
He learn d years ago that so mall a prey c umot escape him. Iml
m diately thathe touches it with his snout, ae turnson hisside, opens
his huge mouth and swallows it. But at this moment the JabL is
violently jerked, forcing the fish-hook into one of his j!ws two
hands catch finu hold of the rope and begin to tighten it wTiie tie
shark plunges about in wrath and n^in. .hnr..u.,.,uZ .....Jl^ T ^^^
^^^ Wk breaks, in ^^^'^^l^Z:^;:^
MICROCOPY RESOIUTION TEST CHART
(ANSI and (SO TEST CHART No. 2)
1^
Ik
IM 13.2
IM
1^ 12-5
2.2
m
IS
u,
14.0
L^ ■ u
2.0
1.8
1.6
^ APPLIED IM/^GP
1653 East Main Street
(716) 482 - 0300 - Phane
(7Iti) 288 -5989 -Fax
inc
183
SftA AND tANtI
• "As Soon as we are satisfied that the hook is securely fixed, we
draw the animal alongside. The man placed at the post of honor-
generally, as in the present case, the captain — vigorously dai-ts the
harpoon into the shark's body. It is necessary that the iron should
so far penetrate into the flesh that the movable portiua form a cross
with the axis of the lance. We have tljen two points of attachment,
And raise the shark Out of the water by means of the cable of the iish-
SHARK FISHING
hook and the rope of the harpoon, drawing upon both simultaneously.
The animal once lifted from the sea, loses a part of his strength; his
fins and tail have no longer any point of support. Nothing is easier,
while he hangs by the ship's side, than to pass a slip-knot around his
tail. The three ropes which now hold him fast run quickly over
pulleys fixed to the yard arras, and the shark is spwdily lauded upon
(he quarter-deck.
MYSTERIES OF THE DBEP SKA. 183
••The prisoner is captured and his punishment not ilong
delayed. In vain are all his struggles; in vain the repeated and
neavy bhws of h.s tail, which threaten to crush through the planks.
A sailor plunges a hand-spike into hi. throat to hold him down, while
another severs his tail with an axe. In thi3 mutilated condition he is
completely, harmless and powerless; though a blow from his tail
would kill a man, or, at all events, break his thigh. The monster
rendered defenseless, we cut open the belly and extract the heart,
which IS immediately flung overboard. Sometimes a portion of the
stomach IS put aside to be eaten; sometimes the animal is stripped of
h,s skin, which is dried, while the dorsal spine is fashioned into a
handsome walking-stick."
DREADFUL CASUALTIES FROM MAN -EATING SHARKS.
It IS related that as the ship Karnoh was leaving the port of Nassau
a pilot fell overboard from her boat in which he was being towed.
His position was immediately discovered, and the utmost means were
taken for his rescue ; two life buoys were at once thrown to him, the
vessel stopped and a boat put out to pick him up. The boat drew
near enough for the unfortunate pilot to grab hold of one of the
oars, at which moment he gave a desperate cry, ''For God's sake
save me ! " On the very instant the words escaped the poor fellow's
mouth a shark grabbed him and disappeared, leaving (,nly a tinge of
blood to indicate his dreadful mission. It was only a few days tifter
this fatal accident when a shark was captured off Nassau, and upon
being cut open there were found inside the monster's stomach the
pilot s wrist and a portion of his clothing, besides a goat's head, with
novns attached nine inches lono*
A SINGULAR WAY TO KILL SHARKS.
A gentleman traveling from Calcutta to Batavia witnessed the kill-
ing of a shark m a very singular manner, which he relates as follows :
"Lookingf over the bulwarks of the schooner, 1 saw one of these
watchful monsters winding lazily backward and forward, like a lon<r
meteor; sometimes rising till his nose disturbed the surface, and a
gushing sound, like a deep breath, rose through the breakers: or at
others, resting motionless on the water, as if listening to our voices
and thirsting for our blood. As we were watching the motion, of thi-
monster, Bruce, a lively little negro, suggested the possibility of de^
stroymg it. This was, briefly, to heat a fire-brick in the stove, wrap
It up hastily ,n some^old greasy cloth as a sort of di.guise, and then
184
SBA Aim LAND.
to heave it overboard. This was the work of a few minutes, and the
effect was triumphant. The monster followed after the hissing prey ;
we saw it dart at the brick like a flash of lightning, and gorge if in-
stanter. The shark rose to the surfacv^ r-lmost immediately, and his
uneasy motions soon betrayed the success of the manoeuvre. His
agonies became terrible; the water appeared as if disturbed by a vio-
lent squall, and the spray was driven over the taff rail. where we stood,
while the gleaming body of the fish repeatedly burst through the dark
waves, as if writhing with fierce and terrible convulsions. Sometimes,
also, we thought we heard a shrill, bellowing cry, af* if indicative of
anguish and rage, rising through the gurgling waters. His fury was,
however, soon exhausted ; in a short time thv sounds broke away in
the distance, and the agitation of the sea subsided. The shark "had
given himself up to the tides, as unable longer to struggle against the
approach of death, and they were carrying his body unresistingly
toward the beach."
A COMPANY OF MEN DEVOURED BY SHARKd.
It is related that upon an occasion, a large double canoe containing
thirty-two natives of Tahiti Island, while making a crossing to an
adjoining land, were wrecked by a sudden squall and all but three of
the number were eaten by sharks. The singular part of this account
is this : After being thrown into the water, the men, all of whom were
expert swimmers, not being able to right the canoe that was over-
turned, contrived to make a kind of raft, on which they scrambled.
Their combined weight, however, sunk it nearly to a level with the
water, and while thus awaiting relief a school of sharks appeared.
The men tried to frighten the voracious monsters aw y kicks and
shouts, but it was of no avail. The sharks swam to Ui. very edge of
the raft and soon one of them leaped up and caught a man, who was
speedily torn into pieces and eaten. The success thus obtained embold-
ened the other sharks, and one after another of the men were seized
and eaten until only three remained. Relieved of so much weight the
raft rose so high above the surface that tie sharks were unable to
spring out of the water far enough to reach the last three, who thus
fortunately escaped the horrid 'death that had befallen their com-
panions.
A SHIPWREOKEn ni{KW A-ry-MnuBn ov ouabi/*
Someyearsago there appeared in a popular magazine the story of
the sufferings experienced by the crew ef the schooner Maffpie whil*
WYSTEttllss OF THB DBEP SEA. , j«,
cruising a«o«g the West Indies in search of pirates. As the article
was contributed by one of the survivor, who was well and favoX
known we have n„ reason to doubt its truthfulness. The stonr!™ery
much abbreviated, is about as follows : ^ ^
Thfi«a2p.-a was upset by a squall and sunk in a hundred fathom,
of w ..3-. , carrying down two of the erew with her ; the others, twenty!
wo .n number were on deck when the squall struck her and were left
strugshng ,„ the water; by a piece of good fortune one of the bo,!ts
been,, detached fror. the vessel as she sank, and floated upHrtL
convenient reach of the men, but they all reached her so nearly
t gether that ,„ heir efforts to get into her she was overt uld and
t.s afforded the slimmest chance for escape. Some of the men
drifted with a hope that some'vessel might pass by and pick them UB
Lieu enant Smith, a brave and resolute man, explained to the men
them to ,.ght the boat and bail her out so that they might hoist sail
r: bX: h7ft:r,ab"'' ""''"" "" '"""- '""^''<' '"" ■"» '^"-
bu befo e half heir labors were accomplished a shark was discovered
n their immediate vicinity. This discovery threw all the menil to
onfusion and would have caused a second „verturnin<- of The boat
had not Smith appealed so fervently to them, their fe^ai^somewh
11 ''. ? I'V'""* <"«'PP«"'''<' "-d f"»r men bailing the wate
nth their hate had almost relieved the boat when adozenorH
ntLTth'at 'th T? "•" ^'"'^^■'"S •"'»• '''•' »eitement wa™
o intense that the boat was upset and their last hope of rescue now
enSet'fff th" I 7™"' " '"« '" """ •" "■» ■»- ™" ««"
ent lely off ! the poor fellow raised himself far enou.-h up the sides
of the boat to show the bleeding stump, and then fellback and wa
seized by another shark. Cries of terrible distress arose as one afTer
nether of the men were caught by the voracious monsters and drawn
™d hlrr IV''<'.»"^"'f -'l thisdireful massacre Smrth
preseived h,s presence of taind and besought the men to ri^ht the
boat again, as ,n that lay tho only possible means for their escaoe
S range enough, his oidei-s were obeyed, though nearly half the e^w
had been destroyed. Smith clung to the boat and .vL-^^^ >tZ~
K ^it Vl"^ "" ''""''■ ^■•"'"■'"y •■« became so quie
that the attention otthe men was attracted tohim , he was paJe but
186
SEA AND LAND.
:r
still exhorted the men to renewed endeavor ; the heroism of the man
was almost without parallel, but, despite his resolution, a groan escaped
his lips and his now enfeebled hands loosed their hold upon the boat ;
a shark had bitten off both hia legs above the knees. At this most
painful of sights the remaining crew felt that to preserve their own
lives was no more their duty than to minister to the man who was so
willing to sacrifice himself for their safety. He was caught while
sinking and laid in the boat, which was now floating half full of
water. In all his agony Smith continued to give orders, thinking
rather of the men than of himself, until the savage attack of a shark,
which caught a man who had a death-like grip upon the edge of the
boat, turned it over for a third time, when the heroic sufferer rolled
out and sank forever.
All the harrowing scenes which characterized the second overturn-
ing of the boat were re-enacted at her ihird upsetting, and one after
another of the men were torn and eaten until only two remained, who
riirhted the boat and got into her. Thouffh still full of water, the
boat sustained them, ana by dint of superhuman exertion they bailed
her fairly dry, so that they could lie down, when exhaustion came,
on the bottom, safe at last from the sharks.
It was eight o'clock in the morning when the Magpie went down,
and an hour afterward all of her crew, except two, had died the most
horrible of deaths and become food for the real "pirates of the
ocean." These two, so singularly preserved at the expense of all
their comrades, were picked up the next day and taken to New Or-
leans, where they were tried before a court-martial and not only
acquitted, but afterward appointed warrant oflScers.
VORACITY AND TENACITY OF LIFE IN THE SHARK.
There are several species of sharks which come under the class
name Squalidce, from the Latin squalidus, to be foul or filthy. This
term, however, is given more in reproach than as a designation to
characterize the habits of the animal. It is true, a shark, like an
ostrich, will eat anything, but he is not specially offensive, being quite
as cleanly as other carnivora of the deep.
A shark found in the fossil state measured seventy feet in length,
a monster altogether more terrible than its saurian contemporaries,
since its mouth had a capacity of nearly twenty-five feet, while its
great testh were four inches in their projection above the jaw. Is it
possible to conceive of a more formidable monster, considering its
f«r(»ciuus character?
: *i*
h) <<
kr'^
'lO hful •■>
&■
Plate a. ■
SHIF
'^■"T'T^
m
B^bft. ^ ^■ryj^^.y^ .^..^^
*<l
Plate 2, ■
SHIPWRECKED SAILORS ATTACKED BY MAN
■EATING SHARKS.
CaPYRfOHTCO 1887.
a; /Of
MT8TEKIK8 OF THE DEEP SEA. IgJ
J^1T°'"\"' :"''"'!' ' """^ ^'"' "'"'■'S!' known «e the white, or
man-e-fng shark. As a furlhe,- illu8trati„„ „f its v„,„city it raaj Z
,„o„l,o,.ed thatin the stomach of „„„ dispatched ne N iT^
found a ad/s wovk-hox, some ship's paper,, remains of two du.Is
tiree chickens some shavings, pieces of cordage, and a buffalo ,"'„'
All these articles had been thrown into the sea fron, the ship X ^
durmg a storm It is also related that a sealed tin canister fi led w^^h
gold corns was found in the stomach of another shark. Not ouly w |1
.t swallow alm,,st anything thrown overboard from the ,l,ip !„[ Ih"
shark d,,e.s not hesitate to devour his own species. like the wc^lf Ex!
penments have been frequently tried of wounding .harks when i,^
schoo s and m every instanc^the wounded animarwas set upon by
the others, torn into pieces and devoured. Large sharks have also
th:irsrd^rt;r^''^'' '"'- -' --"-^'^ ™«"- '^-
turtfe" "ti!1v ll f "* J' '""™°'*"''--y • '^"^"'"S tt-t even of the
tuule. They have been known to not only live, hut swim activelv in
the,r element several hours after the head was cut off sTvela ui
s auces are reported of a shark pursuing and gorging p™ in eJ
Ct a'ndnf :r" ""' '"^•' "'"' »" "' '""""^ --d, Llulg-'Z
TERRIBLE SUFFERINGS OF A 8H.PWRE0KED OREW
No calamity can equal the burning of •, vessel ,.f In .u
hor^r of Which bursts upon the senre:' f' T Cv w^ 'hXm"::
"U up m savage frenzy and like a very fiend of malice and destructTo,
no longer left a refuge between fire and water, the cry of de^nair
i'rdawTs • H^fl, """""• '""'"« ■"■ife-boa.scnUoosZm
the.r davits, and lastly, . smoking hulk that lends its li^ht to th^
crowded boats as they move off underthe pitiless guidance of flte I
Tve toT"'" '^ """"''™'"* "Sony of such Tn e en , a, S Is
hon-tr of a^'J.rl-"'' V T^T "^ "' "■="• "'"' """g-ations th
o°a he'lpt; IZ:' '"" ''^''""^ """ "•'""'" '""•"«^' '- '-"- ^'■o-
Such a calamity befell the whaling ship Larkino in 18B9 ;..
the Indian Ocean, and since some of f he <n«.d-nt h- ' - ^, !'
dnectly in the „ne of the subject l' L^nt';; ;;:,!!' ^:4*'/-
"■■11 give a brief desciption of the sad event sharks-I
After . vety successful cruise, the Laryn, w.a on theretnrn home
188
SBA AND LAND.
laden with several thousand gtillona of whale-oil, when, by some ac-
cident, never fully understood, but prosumubly by the carelessness of
a boy sent into the hold with a lighted candle, the ship took fire.
The captain was an uncommonly cautious man and cool-headed, as few
men are, but despite his exertions the fire gained so rapidly that ho
soon saw the vessel was doomed and ordered the boats lowered.
Everything was done in a quiet way, not the least confusion occur-
ring, and the ship was abandoned only when it was no l<»nger safe to
be near her. There were seven boats which carried the entire ( rew of
fifty-six men quite comfortably, but the supply of water and provis-
ions which they had been able to take was alarmingly small, since
they were more than a thousand miles from Mauritius, the nearest
land.
For five days the boalts were rowed toward the island, the weather
being fine and their progress excellent, and the men, though compelled
to subsist on raw salt pork, began to treat their misfortune lightly,
feeling that the remainder of their voyage would prove auspicious.
On the evening of the sixth day, however, the wind rose and soon
freshened into a gale, while the sea grew angry, and its increasing
billows portended grave danger. The men threw the heads of their
boats to the waves, and rowed with all their might against the
storm ; darkness only added to the danger; it brought no subsidence
of the wind, and when morning broke, only one boat, the largest that
was launched, containing fourteen men, remained upon the surface,
the others and their precious freight having been engulfed.
Although the large boat had weathered the gale and was still in
good condition, the suiTiving crew were but little better off than their
companions who were now done with sufferings and fears, for the fresh
water was exhausted, and even the last piece of raw pork consumed.
To ease their raging thirst, some of the men foolishly drank salt water,
and on the following day were raving mad, and in their delirium three
of them jpmped overboard and were drowned. On the same evening
another died, but his body was not cast overboard until some hours
after, and when at last it was committed to the sea, the body had be-
come so inflated by gases that it would not sink, but floated around
the boat, blackened and distorted, seemingly to remind those yet liv-
ing of the certain fate that awaited them. Thirst and hunger had
well nigh robbed them of their senses, except the sense of suffering,
and being now too weak to use their oars, they drifted about utterly
destitute oi hope.
MYSTERIES OF THE DEEP SEA.
189
SAVED BY A SHARK.
"Suddenly," says the uccout.t, -a long, dark-brown fin, like a
scmeter. protruded fron. the surface about ten yards distant, and was
followed almost nnmediately by the appearance of a shark, who
swam up lo.sui^ly to the floating body and then around, as though
uncertain whether to seize the prey. Without a mon.ent's hesitation
the captam se.zod a harpoon and n)ade it fast to a line, but the shark
had disappeared. 'Keep quiet.' he whispered to the expectant crew,
who had been simulated from their stupor by this unexpected visitor
Keep silent, and ship your oars ; he'll be here again presently ' The
nervous system is a mysterious paradox; the men who were half dead
a few minutes before now recovered thei-- spirits at the chance so
.urpr^.ngly presented, and exhibited a keen interest in sport which
/as their special calling. ^ •
" The captain stood'in the f,ow of the boat with the harpoon ready,
watchmg mtently the dead body of their late comrade, which floated
only a few yards distant. Some minutes elapsed, and hope began to
sink; It was thought the shark hud been scared off by the ' Zt and
would not return again. The captain's arm slowly raised the har-
poon as he gazed almost perpendicularly into the blue water The
next instant there was a da.h and quick commotion; the dead body
whirled rapidly as though in a sharp eddy, and a flash of white in a
long sti-eak was seen beneath, at the same time that the harpoon sped
from the captain's hand, and the line whizzed over the gunwale The
shark was struck ! ^It had evidently risen from a considerable depth
to attack the body by a sudden dash from below.
" Although the excitement of the moment had added new life to
the weary and f^imished crew, their muscles were weak, and wa!
with painful difficulty that they managed to play the sba k to whTch
hey were attached. Having allowed it to iun'^out fifty fa horns >f
hne they hauled steadily upon it, and shortened the leng'^h to twTn y
yards then they made fast the line by a round turn about the low
hwait. and the fish towed the boat at discretion until tired Thecrew
then hauled away until the shark was alongside, when a shot from I
musket, m t^ie spine. at the junction with the head, killed it. All
hands were then employed in cutting the flesh into long, thin strts
tliat would dry in the hot sun and afford a lastin. «„.^K '" T}1
The men drank the shark's blood, and ate the meat riw^^s thW P^^
i).red ,t, and ioupd it wonderfully refreshing. Their g;od ZZ Z
^#*
190
SEA AND LAND.
further increased by a copious shower, which set in directly after the
animal was cut up, and by spreading the canvas so as to catch the
rain, a good supply of water was soon obtained and their sufferings
were at an end, for three days later they reached Mauritius in safety.
SHIPWRECKED, AND EATEN BY SHARKS.
A horrifying accident occurred in July, 1885, off the coast of
Hawaii, near theKau district, by which not only a vessel was lost, but
no less than five persons that were on board fell victims to the vorac-
ity of sharks. The newspaper accounts of the casualty are to the
effect that the schooner PohoUki, owned by Mark Robinson, the cap-
tain, who had his wife and son on board at the time, was caught in a
gale and so seriously injured that she could not be controlled, and
running for a lee was capsized. The captam's wife and child were
almost instantly seized by sharks, and their piercing cries were hushed
in a moment as they disappeared forever. A boat that was being
towed astern of the capsized vessel was secured by two of the crew, who
got into it and endeavored to rescue the three oth'ers that were in the
water. The sharks in the meantime attacked the captain, pulling him
under the water and tearing his right leg in a shocking manner. Ho
manaaed to get loose from his tormentors for the time, however, but
as the men were pulling him into the boat they were horrified to see
another of the voi-acious creatures fasten onto the left leg of the unfor-
tunate, and for son)e minutes there was a tugging at the suffering man
between the sharks and the men who would %in save him. The Cap-
tain was finally drawn into the boat, but not until his legs were so ter-
ribly lacerated that he died in less than an hour.
The two sailors that were in the water were attacked simultaneously
with the captain, one having a great piece of flesh taken from his
left side, wliile the other lost his left arm, but they were both rescued
and taken in the boat to Kaawaloa, where Dr. B. G. Baker attended
them and managed to save their lives. The woman and child were
devoured so si)eedily that from the moment they were drjiwn under
water not a vestige of either was again seen.
A MAti TORN TO PIECES BY A SHARK™
John Duncan, of the Firth Life Guards, writing cf his travels
through the kingdom of Dahomy, in alluding to the traffic of slaves
onthe Wydah coast, records the following incident: "I forgot to
mention the circumstance of a Spaniard, who was employed as a hand
pn boara the Jfedom scljooDer, from hon^on, ]Jpoa perAeiving thp
slaves pu
he jumpe
a few sec
kicked wi
but it dai
ered, but
the unfor
again seiz
the tail of
spot, the i
of the ai(
when he r
torn from
he was gol
died in ha.
Sir Sam
relates the
curred in i
shore of C
island. H
"Thefoi
seventy fee
commands
sea on the
Ceylon, an<
temperatur(
enjoyment,
knowledsre
diles in the
he once qui
they are no
number of
that a whit(
enticing bai
Thus in plac
punity, it Wi
Wiis a lament
h a sbelte.p
MT8TEK1E8 OP THE DEEP SEA. 191
Slaves put on board the American brig, anchored at a short distance,
he jumped overboard to swim to her, but had only been in the wate^
a few seconds before a large shark approached him. The poor fellow
kicked with h,s feet toward the shark, endeavoring to keep it off,
but It dur ed on him and tore his arm. A boat was immediately low^
ered, but before it reached him the shark made a second attack, and
the unfortunate man, who was now swimming with one hand was
again seized on the back of the shoulders and dragged under .;ter,
the tail of the shark remaining in sight. When the boat reached the
spot the shark appeared on the surface still holding the man One
of the men in the boat struck the shark's head with a boat-hook,
when he relinquished his hold ; the poor fellow's flesh was completed
torn from the bone. A small rope was fastened around his back, and
he was go into the boat, and a/ter being taken on board the Medora
died in half an hour." c»u,a
Sir Samuel Baker, in his " Eight Years' Wanderings in Ceylon "
rela.es the particulars „f a ...gularly distressing aociSent which o'c-
carred in he harbor of Trhicomalee, a beautiful indentation of the
» ore of Ceylon, in 1845, shortly after the British occupation of he
island. He writes :
" Thefort stands upon a projecting point of land,whioh rises to about
seventyfee above the level of the racecourse, which faces it. llusit
commands the laud approach across this flat plain on one side and the
sea on the other. This same fort is one of the hottest corners of
Ceylon, ana forms a desirable residence for those who delight in a
temperature of from 90- ,„ 104- i,i the shade Bathing is the great
enjoyment, but the pleasure in such . count, y is destroyed by the
1 now edge that sharks are looking out for you in the sea, and croco!
diles II, the rivers; thus a man is nothing more than a liv; \>ltZ^
he once quits terra fimrn. Accidents must necessarily happen, but
lheya,e ,,ot so frequent as persons would suppose from the ^rcl
nuinber of carn,vo,„us monsters that exist. Still, I „m convi';,ced
hat a wh,te man would run greater risk than a black; he is more
,ci„g ba,t, being In-ight and easily distinguished ii^ the wle"
!";;'\f r:,: •"■" ">» r''- "-•" «"» '-"'it of bathing with im!
I> .n,tj , .t i,„ulu bo mr,8i dangerous for a white man to enter. There
Ifl 4 sheUe.«d U09k among the rocks belov the fort, wher* the ngtivM
^0,Y JJITTICN iS^i .TWAIN B.Y A SHAi^^.
182
MrSTEBIES OF THE DEEP SEA. jgj
were always in the habit of bathine. a nartv ,>f .„ij- . . '
meat then in g. -ison went down o!; suC „ !. T "' ""' '"S'-
wa3 a lovely ^i foi- n»fhin„.^ .''^ '""""*'"■ "^wim. It
the reef thit .uJZTtlLto Z ""t '■"*^' '"" "'"' <""■". -
heavy snrf , and preseld the nnertZ I l:^^-^^^^ '" *""
were a fine lot of En-^Iish 8„Mi..« .. /. . "" " '"''«• Here
ruddy hue of British heal it h /,''''•"'' '° ''='"'<'; »"<i although the
olin.a'ieof the Eas neverth J^Tf, ,""? ""^ '^'l""^"^^ ■■> the J,g„id
Eng.ishn.en usnal,;;Zrn:r twrrtdr^alt "^ "■" ^^ "^
However, one after thp nth^,. f«^i ^^ t^'ii-cumstaiices.
dock int;the dt;te ' et„:r' U TV '"r'''' -"^ '"«
was a fine lad of fifteen the .L If I.^" '""« '""' "' '"'"'«■•«
n.ent . and with th?er:i:u:nTf Lre:/JXr'^,r ''""'^^^^
men, and on arriving at the edge he plunged hi,^se^ "1,7""^''"''
into the water and disannoared i „ i ^ Himself head foremost
watching the bather^XCiosf t le's:; fr^wT ™f " ""'■■^"'
them, but as he shook Ihewafer f,om 1 ih ^ ^^"' " '™ '<*<'"''
to rise from the deep bLith |.t n T '".'''''''^''''''''''"^^'''--^-i
(inct outline of a hie Z t -^^ V" T"""' """"•'°' ""^ ^i^-
Mow. Atthesam^tttrthrwira t::::;^';!: ""'f, """"^''
was erimsoned,,and a bloody f„„m r„ e t^ he snrfl? th U '™'"
gone 1 Before the first shock of horror wasfe t b° tb" '^ T'
gallant fellow of the same regiment shot h'ifi ^7 ^'""""" """'*• «
spot, and presently reappeared T:n;:dev:td"p,:';I:'r '■"'"'
his arms one-half of the poor hnv ti , ^^^'^ P'U'ige, l,earing i„
tM; monstirwSM": ^^r l.t^aTflr ■: """"" '"
watching in heart-broken eagerness in ihTl, . """"« ""'■
face of her lost son. This.TJe L ^^a':„X'' e^retV""''
never seftn again." ***""'' ^o lie ; the shark waa
V .1- TERRIBLE ADVENTURE OF A DIVER
No Other people live in such constant fear of th« «h ,.
d.vers. Every year we hear of divers beW lost wh I hi", '""^"
the prey of voracious sh-irfev tk A' , ' ^ ""^® ')ecome
..« FiLda ooast'^h tm'™„:'':sr,h:„ttT '■" ^"'"-"^
sceiid into thA wnfoj. ,..,>u^-. - 5 v'ciims, though they never de-
;™.e>ves against su;fa;:ekl'T '1'- O^""
dressed divers are spldoB,^--' ,, . - 6"'ar
)8f
, o — — vu Kuau ariuor-
194
SEA AND LAND.
appearance inspires fear, for often the dreaded monster will approach
within a few feet of the diver and look at him with every evidence of
curiosity and astonishment, yet show no disposition to do him harm.
Sometimes, however, perilous adventures befall these sea-inspectors,
COURAGEOUS ATTACK ON A SHARK.
and many forfeit their lives by tempting foi-tune in the shark's domain.
The pearl-divers are a tempting bait for sharks because they de-
scend to great depths, arn)ed,it is true^^ith large j^nives, but their
MTSTEBres OF THE DBEp SB* jgj
body is naked and thus makes a feast of <i«.i. . .t
scourge of the sea. In pursainl th! V ] *" "" "Wf-hungiy
make their descent rapid"^ afZ Me .tT""' """'«' '" """"^
end of which a large stone is Ctenid H '™' «""?' ' "•''?« *<> «■•
stone, which Carrie's hi™ to I deoth nt .^^ ^•'^^""•'oard with .his
the instant. Retaining hshoW™th. ^ "' '""^ '"'* "'""o"' o"
body, he collects togefher as llv „ 7'* " """'''"^ " '"' *" W'
-able to regain Lder wr-ZralgLTrwl^r^^^^^
ix'o^fXin.^ fiirrtf - -^^ -- -"
of his armor our American er^^Mv'''',:"'' '° *°" "■«■»"■« utility
the.. fthappe„edthr^;rt2rof';e:i'"'r'''^'''"°"^
tacked I.y a shark, which failincV ! f" "V*" '""'™ *«« "as at-
bim such'a violent b:'lrft;t:tLrr"d'r'"'''''"'''*™'=''
The American diver immedi." ei; w nt tolh? ^"". »-'»"^'=»"«-
native, and was in turn attacked K '"^VT"* "' *■■* ''""k*"
avoided its deadly mon h anTa ' thot by him .' '"' '" """"""^
together he plunged his long knife to tLLuTntnlrr'' '" '""'
large a gash that the entraits protrndeT u ? '""^^' ""'''■'« »»
native, who was still uneonscious and /. IJtu '"'^ "■' P"''™*'
an^,<"na.i„gto those a;re::Ll^^lt?„r Tht-'^"*^';
man was nearly dead when brouffht out nf iL T ^^' ^® '"J"""®^
ulation finally restored hi. a^d^ :!;:;/ ^^^^^ P-per .anip-
shark, which measured twenty feet inZZlt ^"^ ^""^^ ^^ *^«
days afterward. ^ ^"^*^' ""^^ «««<^ «» shore a few
T,. , . ^ 800URQE FROM BIRTH.
me Shark, when scarcely born savs Pi«„;^« u
"f the sea. He seizes a„ tkat omer„e!rh7„ ' ^^ *J^ """«''
ftsb, molluscs, and fishes • »n,o„„ .k 1 *^* **'" ""« ""tUe-
tl.e prey which has t'refeha™'f h'°" '"'''' '=''•'-''*• ^-t
b.ves him dearly, hut it fs wth tht "Ltn o"? t'L""""'- ''''''"''
even manifests, according to some .^.^ f gourmand. It
«es. If we may beliefe t^rtlXr^Lrfr"? '"^ '"'^"
burnan food comes in its wav th. - « «"> ^ben several varieties of
Aaiatie, and both o he nZ; R m '\P7'*'^ ""• ^"'"P*"- *» the
seeks eagerly for human S f u ' *""*"" '"^^ ^ «"« ""l"'. he
p I,)' tor *uw«B «esh, ,n4 bawf» the neijjhborfcood ,vj,e« fc.
196
SEA AND LAND.
hopes to find the precious morsel. He follows the ship in which his
instinct tells him it is to be found, and makes extraordinary efforts to
reach it. He has been known to leap into a boat in order to seize the
frightened fishermen ; he throws himself upon the ship, cleaving the
waves at full speed to snap up some unhappy sailor who has shown
himself beyond the bulwarks. He follows the course of the slaver,
watching for the horrors of the middle passage, ready to engulf the
negroes' corpses as they are thrown into the sea. Cummerson relates
a significant fact bearing on the subject. The corpse of a negro hud
been suspended from a yard-arm twenty feet from the level of the
sea. A shark perceived the body and made the most prodigious leaps
in his effoi-ts to seize it. After many vain attempts the shark changed
his tactics and waited until the bow of the vessel sank lowest in its
motion with the wave&, and then leaping, seized first the legs, then the
body, and thus took it piece-meal until not a vestige remained. The
crew viewed with much interest this hdrrifying spectacle, since the
vessel was a slaver and no feelings of humanity had any place among
the crew.
The naouth of the shark being placed much below and back of the
snout it is necessary for the animal to turn over in the water when
seizing its prey. This well-known peculiarity is taken advantage of
by natives on the African coast and also of the Malay Archipelago.
These bold adventurers, who seem to be at home in the water, do not
hesitate, to invite the shark to attack them, in which event they watch
for an ppportunity when the shark turns over and, leaping aside, they
plunge. a long knife in the creature's abdomen.
SHARK FI8HINQ.
Many persons engage in fishing for sharks, not only for the amuse-
ment which it affords, but also for the double purpose of destroying
the destructive monster and to possess themselves of its hide and
teeth, the latter being extensively used for ornaments. Shark fishing
is especially good about Nassau and off the Florida coast, where, we
might say, thousands are taken annually, yet their number does
not appear to diminish. The fishing is conducted somewhat as fol-
lows: A dark night is preferable, though there is no time when sharks
will not feed, but the advantage of darkness is in approaching it more
readily, and its suspicions are not nearly so great as in daylight. A
hook is prepared of steel, having a curve of from five to six inches,
and j^o thin }& ^ttac)»ed fk phain Joste»4 Qt rope^ since the latter would
197
BXCTTEMENT OF SHARK nsftlNO.
198
8BA AKD LAND.
ii IF
be quickly bitten in two. A piece of salt pork is generally used for
bait, but fresh meat is nearly as good. The bait, which must be well
hooked, is thrown overboard ; it is soon seen by a shark, which will
invariably, unless extremely hungry, swim up to the bait, smell of
it, and then move away again ; but he quickly returns and makes
another inspection, repeating the performance two or three times if
the bait be left still; but in order to urge the shark to take it quickly,
the bait is pulled over the surface, and the shark, suspecting it to be
about to escape, rushes swiftly on and swallows it gluttonously. The
fun now begins in earnest. The moment he swallows the bait the
shark starts downward, and is only stopped by a strong pull on the
line, to which he is now fast. He is as game as a bass or pickerel,
and will not give up until he has lashed the sea into foam, leaped a
dozen times entirely out of the water, and becomes completely ex-
hausted from his frantic efforts. The line is then drawn in until the
shark's head is above water, when a noo'se is thrown so as to fall over
the pectoral fins and run down the body till it rests round the tail ; it
is then drawn taut, and, heaving at both lines, the men draw the great
creature from his element, and make quick work of him, by first
lopping off the tail with an axe, and then cutting ojBf the head.
WORSHIP OF THE SHARK.
Says Figuier: «< Man worships force; he knows the hand which
crushes, the teeth which rend. He respects the master or the king
who strikes, and he venerates the shark. The inhabitants of several
parts of Africa worship the shark; they call it their yoM^ow, and con-
sider its stomach the road to heaven. Three or four times in the year
they celebrate the festival of the shark, which is done in this wise:
They all move in their boats to the middle of the river, where they
invoke, with the strangest ceremonies, the protection of the great
shark. They offer to him poultry and goats in order to satisfy his
sacred appetite. But this is nothing; an infant, which has been
reared for the purpose from its birth, is every year sacrificed to the
monster, ; it is feted and nourished for the sacrifice from its birth to
the age of ten. On the day of the fete it is bound to a post on a sandy
point at low water ; as the tide rises the child may utter cries of hor-
ror, but it is abandoned to the waves, and the sharks arrive. The
mother is not far off ; perhaps she weeps, but she dries her tears and
thinks that her child has entered heaven through this horrible gate.
MYSTERIES OV THE DEEP SEA. 199
TU « . MEMBERS OF THE VORACIOUS FAMILY.
ine Hammerhead shark is distinffuishp«l hv th^ .- 1
.ion of it, head, which i, fl^neneZt:'^'^.^!''^ Z'f"":
:ir,f;srrh::r.r^r^^^^^^
aud very near the junotio,. of th^f^. i, .^e mouth wM^h t .'m'
THE HAMMER-HEAD SHARK.
™;e„^trr^:::-ir;er:r:"r;:?,!^^^^^
.»eh„^„etoe.„gtheu,uaI.ize, aud the weight about five huXd
The hammer-head, though smaller than it, man-eating congener, i.
fiEA AND LAND.
yet its equal in boldness, voracity and blood-craving propensities;
it knows ni, fear, pursuing its prey to the very limit of audacity and
encroachment upon man's domain. Ito appearance is very frequent
in roadsteads, where it swims about ships, ready to pounce upon any
eatable thing, from a cracker to a sailor, prcfering very much the
latter and not infrequently obtaining its choice.
The Greenland shark attains a length of fifteen feet, and is equally
voracious as the blue shark or hammer-head, but it is not so danger-
ous to man ; its ravages, however, as a sea-pirate, are very extensive,
and it is of the greatest annoyance to whalers. Almost the moment
that a whale is killed its body is surrounded by Greenland sharks,
which proceed to devour the blubber more rapidly than the sailors
can sometimes remove it, and thus get the greater share. It is almo-^t
impossible to either kill or drive them away from the feast; harpoon
after harpoon, and lance after lance niay be driven into t!ieir bodies
without apparently producing the slightest injury, and even large
pieces may be cut out of their bodies without affecting their appetite.
Examination of the body of a Greenland shark discloses the fact that
they have the least nervous organization of anything in the sea supe-
rior to the zoophytes, and the brain is so very small that it is only on
the rarest occasion that harpooners are able to strike it.
The flesh of this shark is eaten with much relish by Esquimaux, who
consider it next to the walrus, and they also use the skin for making
lines, for which purpose it is extremely serviceable. Many persons
claim that the Greenland shark pursues and worries the whale to
death for the purpose of feasting off its body, but this statement
lacks confirmation, and is not probable. - Their food is chiefly small
fish and crustacse, but it is a great scavenger and will eat any flesh
that it may find.
The busking shark grows to a length of thirty feet, and is equally
formidable as the white or man-eating shark ; in fact, man-eater may
be-applied to three or four species, including the basking shark, but
this latter is not nearly so voracious as the hammer-head, white or
blue shark, and is not much dreaded by sailors.
The spinous shark is not a large fish, seldom reaching more than
eight feet in length, but his appearance is horrid in the extreme,
covered as he is with prickles like iion-claws. To swiin rapidly
against a person in the water, a spinous shark would tear the body
most frightfully, hut whether it is guilty of such practices or not I
have not seen stated.
MYSTERIES OF THE BEEP SEA. 201
The blue shark, which sometimes measures eight feet in lonofi •
the most graceful and beautiful of this" hideouTr hV V i f ' "
Nue-green. and the belly is a .ilver- whi 7 t^^ ^'^ ^^'^ '' ^
«n.a„,heis not wanting^ -r^! ::;^t„,i:::f ,^:— ^^
water us fercciusly as the white »l„„k, about wl,i,.l, T .
written enough to show the ...™Hn\v, '^h t h I '^Thtbt
hark feeds prn.e.pally on pilchards, tunuies and hcrHngs but he
hists for warm-blooded animals also "i-rungs, out he
The thrasher, or fox-shark, has two distinguishing characteristics:
THE GREAT HLGRIM SHARK.
whi!rrw 'T'Ttf "1 ""' ""^'^ ^o^-otthe caudal fin. or tail,
wh ch enables h.m to thrash the waters violently till they boil and
deep, such as seals, porpoises, lamantins, etc., and has killed
ms
SEA A17D LAND.
HMWiv i sL owrecked sailor by the wild lashings of its terrible tail, out
uf pure wail, iinwas, for it ifl not known to eat man.
The picked shark and sand ahenk are both small and haimless.
ThP former is cau<?ht on the Scottish coast, to be split, dried imd eaten
by the poorer classes The latter furnishes no little sport to anglers
M fho "^ea-coast summer resorts about New Jersey, Long Island and
Masbttoh I setts.
The great pilgrim belongs to the shark family, though beyond ap-
pearance it has none of the formidable characteristics of its congeners.
It has been represented as one of the most implacable persecu-
tors of the whale, but this is only an idle story, utterly destitute of
fact. Although carnivorous, like all squalidce (sharks), it confines
its diet to small fish and never attacks man. It sometimes reaches '
length of thirty-five feet and a weight of over two thousand pounds ;
it is armed with powerful teeth, and is capable of doing as great mis-
chief as the white shark, but nature has given it a mild temperament
compared with all the other members of the shark family, and it there-
fore escapes persecution from the hand of man.
SATELLITES AND PARA8!TES OF THE SHARK.
Mangin says, according to a well-known marine superstition, the
shark has a satellite, or diminutivr; companion, that follows him faith-
fully wherever he goes. This iw the Pilot-fish, so called because sup-
posed to guide the shark toward an appetizing meal, and to warn him
of any threatening danger. •♦ The truth is, hefoUowSy not pilotff, the
voracious animal, to feed upon his ordure and on such morsels as may
be disregarded by him." In this opinion Mangin is opposed by many
persons well acquainted with the habits of the pilot-fish, as we shall
presently see.
In size and shape the pilot-fish resembles the mackerel, to which
family it undoubtedly belongs, and is easily recc^iaizod by the five
conspicuous bands surrounding i^s body. These at;""jjfv are tran-
versal and of dark-blue color, showing very f .In'sr Ci a general
ground color of silvery grayish blue. The bead is small ; the scales
are small and oval ; the rental fins attached to the abdomen by a mem-
brane *'»rough one-third of their length ; the pectoral fins are clouded
with bt! ^'"'^ vrhite shades, while the ventrals are nearly black.
Alfy»<rf, + n«i Ifc '^9 '.. .r(*r\r hftnntifiil and trrnnpfnl fish, nhniit. Qnci font, in
length, ii-'l xc<jedingly . tive in its movements.
A Yoyaget .n the East Indies, writing of the sharks he had seen,
MY8TFRIE8 OF THE DEEP
'•;a.
203
says; «' These luive >vail ,ng on them six or seven small fishes wiiich
never do i art, with band.^. f,lue and green, round their bodien, like
comely serving men, and they go two and three before t ,eni and
some (,n every side." '1 i, same truvcdcr further relates that in three
instances ho saw the shark led certainly by the pilot. When the <rreat
creature swam near the ..hip the i^ilot kept close to his no.p or ulider
one of his breast-fins; occasionally it would dart forward, as if to
make a careful survey of what lay ahead, and then rotun, again, as if
lo make report of its findings. When a hook was thnwn overboard
hinted with a large piece of pork, the pilot-fish swam quickly to the
bait, smelt of it and then returned to the shar'-, which had as yet
failed to discover the morsel flung over to tempt him. Again and
i.g.i.n the pilot swam to the b,vit and back again to his great "compan-
ion, as if to tell him a dainty bit of food lay just aheml, drawing him
-radudUy toward the bait, until at last the shark sa .v and seized it
ravenously.
FIDELITY OF THE PILOT-FISH.
Another instance is reported by the well-known n. turalist, Dr
Bennett, as follows : " I have observed that if several sharks swim
together, the pilot-fishes are generally absent ; whereas, en a solitary
shark bemg seen, it is equally rare to find it unaccompanie 1 by one or
more of these reputed guides. The only method bv which I could
procure this fish was, that when capturing, a shark, I was uware that
these faithful little creatures would not forsake him until he vas taken
on hoard ; therefore, by keeping the shark, when hooked, in the water
until he was exhausted, or, as the sailors term it, 'drou ,ed ' the
pilot-fish kept close to the surface of the water over the sh. k,'and
by the aid of a dipping-net, fixed to the end of a long stic.:, I was
enabled to secure it with great facility."
It is a difficult matter to decide positively the real object of the
pilot-fish, but the probability is that, recognizing the power .f the
shark to seize and mangle large prey, the pilot-fish does really direct
him, in a measure at least, knowing that in the death of the prey some
remnants will fall to its share. The rhinoceros bird, none wiii dis-
pute, guards with fidelity its giant companion, giving warnin - of
Si'"" '^'*°^''V,'''^ "" ^""'^^^"^ soldier on picket duty; may wc" not
..."•■p.oie reason.ibly sappose that, since all things on land have Heir
counteri)art in the sea, the pilot-fish solemnly guards the shark and
weds upon the remains of his feast?
'fA^
204
8KA AND LAND.
THE WONDERFUL REMORA-FI8H.
A parasite of the shark, which is also found frequently adherent
to rocks and ships' keels, is a small fish cpUed by scientists the JRemora,
and by the general people siicTeing-fish. Like the pilot-fish, tlie
remora resembles a herring, and is about eigiitcen inches in length.
The ancients indulged their imaginations with wonderful fictions con-
cerning its power of adhesion. Thus it was said that Antony's ship,
at the battle of Actium, was prevented from moving through the
resistance of remora fish, although several hundred strong 8aih)r.s
were at the oars. It is also told that Caligula's galley was detained
for several days between Actium and Astura by a single remora cling-
ing to the helm.
Pliny, who has written many excellent lines, and not a few pleasing
THE REMORA, OR SUCKER -FISH.
fictions, referring to the remora, inquires: «* Why should our fleets
and armadas at sea make such turrets on the walls and forecastles,
when one little fish (see the vanity of man I) is able to arrest and stay,
perforce, our goodly and tall ships?" The same author seems to
have discovered another extraordinary quality in the fish, for lie
observes, that if the remora be preserved in salt aiid then placed at the
mouth of any pit wherein valuables lie concealed, that it will draw up
the treasure. Greater even than this in drawing properties wa.s this
most extraordinary of fishes when dried, pulverized and used as a love
filter; it was recommended by the ancients to draw the loveliest
women to the homeliest men, its power being irresistible.
Tuese stories have uq extremely small foundation to rest on, but
they were implicitly believed at one time. The facts are, that owing
MYSTERIES OF THE DEEP SEA.
805
to a peculkr wcaknes, of its flns. the remora is induced to attach itself
to a„y foreign body that offers a means of support • ani thil » I
w.h suchgreattenacity.that unless .he effortTsep;"!;:, plied
.. .. l.ar .cular dneetion.the disunion cannot be accomplished witC
tearing the flesh apart. "^I'li&uea witnout
The adhesive apparatus of the remora consists of an oval area on
«i— .whLthc™trL:i ris^x:;;rx^^^^
0 the cavit,e» J hcso cav.t.cs act like an exhaust pump from which
th an- .s forced at will, when they adhere like the half ofTrJbbor
taat of the Mediterranean 'J^Z:^ sl^^^n^Z;':::^:
small teeth, litt e yellowish eyes and a slightly forked tail
It ,s very seldom that a shark is seen to the body of which is not
t ched one or more sucking-fish , th^motive in selecting the shaTk
mther than other large fishes is u„ doubt two-fold. First, the shtk
«.ng n,onarch of the liquid domain, his presence affords p otectt to
I e e,„„,.a ; second, the remo.-a being carnivorous and ye whhou the
«U . y to swnn rapidly, or catch its prey, he naturally siksTshak
which IS a ravenous feeder, and thus he thrives upon the sma I bits
which fall from the monarch's fe««t in .k. . "
jsl, monarcn s least, in the same manner as the pilots
The i-emora does not confine it^ attachment exclusively to the shark
'.■IV :r t "'''''" ""T '" "»"'^ -ythinglhatm; comet
h «.iy, only to remain a short time, however, while with the shark
rgo u-He, aI'IT ^T "f""'""""- -Pl"^ 't in fishing fo"r
.Lc„r;^.:;r^rr^^^^^^^^
toll ,,: ^ ?"^ '■*''"'''■'' '" ""' »«» ""d it speedily attaches
tolf to the animal, when .both are drawn into the boat.
206
SEA AND LAND.
CHAPTER XV.
THE SWORD-FISH AND SAW-FISH.
bEXT to the shark in ferocity and voraciousness is the Sword-
fish, a habitat of nearly all the seas, but most populous in
the Mediterranean. It grows to a length of twenty feet,
but the powerful, keen, heavy, dentilated blade is one-third
its .entire length. Like ^he shark, nature has equipped the sword-
fish with so dreadful a weapon, that its province seems to be war
though, strange enough, it is comparatively innocent and extremely
timid before man, confining its ravages to its fellow-denizens of the
deep. Cuvier classifies it among the mackerel family, but there is
room for doubting the correctness of this classification. The dorsal
fin is very like a shark's, while the tail and pectoral fins resemble the
mackerel, and the steel-blue color of the body is very nearly identical
in the two. But mackerel are gregarious, while sword-fish are us^uiJly
solitary, or in pairs, except at certain seasons, when four or five may
sometimes be seen together.
Though timid in the presence of man, the sword-fish is full of
courage before the most powerful monsters of his element ; he fre-
quently attacks the whale, and gives him a mortal thrust Avith his in-
flexible and adamantine beak.
The Sicilian fishermen are accustomed to pursue the sword-fish in
boats, and chiefly use the harpoon in effecting its capture ; this instru-
ment is light, but a practiced hand can hurl it to a surprising distance.
Dr. Wood says the Sicilians, when hunting the sword-fish, chant a
kind of song, set to words which no one can understand. The soiif^
is thought by some writers to be a corruption of some old Greek
verses, and the fishermen believe the sword-fish is so fond of this son"-
that it follows the boat in which it is sung. They will not venture to
speak one word of Italian, thinking that the sword-fish would under-
stand them, learn that they contemplated its death, and then make
its escape. No bait of any kind is employed, the unintelligible chant
being thought to be far more efficacious than any material aid.
The flesh of the sword-fish is always eatable and nourishing, and
in small specimens is white and well flavored. Though it is in coii-
B^derable denmnd for food, and its skin makes an excellent leather,
MYSTERIES OF THE DEEP SEA. jjo,
though rather thick, few of the Mediterranean people, e^ept Sicil
,an,, engage ,n hunting it. These go in small boatafin the oente tf
wh,ch ,s a heavy mast about twelve feet high, upthi mast onetf the
men clunba, and securing himself to the top, keeps a look-oTfor he
fi.h. Though the sword-fi«h does not make its presence conspicu^s
by ga„,bols or spouting, as does the whale, he has the shark like habi
of lymg close to the surface, from which his lougdorsal fin protrude,
hke the „,au,.royaI „, a sunken ship ; this directs the fishernrn a7d
etrve'ir '*"■■""''" '■' ="'' """^ •'"""S'^ '° -' ">e ha^^n
The killing of sword-
fish is 51 lucrative industry
among New England fish-
ermen, who capture great
numbers annually for the
fiesh and oil which they
yield. In a recent number
of Frank Leslie's Illus-
trated ]\Ionthly, Mr. C. F.
Holder gave a very inter-
esting description of the
manner in which sword-
fish aie killed, interspers-
ing his narrative with some
interesting incidents as re-
lated to him by the captain
of the yacht Laughing
Dolly. Preserving the ««luns hunting the sword-fish.
vernacular of his inform-inf m^ tr 1 1
captain „, follows. ' ^'^ ""'''"• ■•*P'«" *''« «'<"y of the
" So'dtishin' ain't all fun " o..,-^ *u i ..
holding on to the wheelwi^b'o f ™"""="' ^'^ifPc., who was
» time what m kes thin " T f T *''" 'P"''"'' " ^^e.-e comes
Why, i,.t thi" Tf^ fi ::\ »"»'-;^'^S'y "»• ".-artin. Haow so?
t. J. It off shore^^r. se-e'^r: f t:;/7t.: "T' ' "-f '"
. -.i„ ., „jn,vei uuu float ar, (»:if»h o.,ri v i
basket,
Wd when tb? hylj lot
sink one end and sail
away, jiayin' aout as ye ^o
9 oyer yaou la;, ou Jtq' b;^ fp^ ^^p -^^^^^
pr so,
208
8EA AND LAND.
and then haul her in. Ye .see, ye cover over two miles o' ground, an'
if there's any cod or haddock abaoutye're sure to get 'em.
"Wall, as I was goin' to say, I was aout one morniii', I reckon
afore sunrise, an' was payin' aout my trawl, when the first thing I
knew, blini ! came soraethiii' what give the boat a tip, and I felt some-
thin' strike my foot, an' a kind o' hot feelin' up along my leg, an'
lookln' daown, there was a so'dfish — so'd a-stickin aout o' my ile-
skins jest at the knee. Wal, if I didn't buckle on to that so'd
it's a caution, an' it was pull, haul, yank an' tug for half an hour.
But I got the painter araound it with a couple o' turns, an' hailed a
mate that was fishin' close by, an' we broke off the so'd an' got the
critter aboard. Ye see, the cuss had took me or the boat for a
whale or blackfish, an' come rammin' up like a shot ; the so'd goin'
complete through the bottom o' the d{|ry, strikin' jest alongside my
boot,passin' up through the lego' my ile-skin pants, an' comin' aout
at the knee. I tell ye I never was so took back afore except once,
an' that was off Nantucket, a year or so ago, when a so'dfish kem
near cleanin' us all aout. We got into him all right, an nothin' else
bein' in sight, me an' the boys jumped into the dory, an' soon had
the keg aboard; but as soon as wo touched the rope to take in slack,
he started off, an' you'd a thought we'd got foul of a whale. It was
an hour afore we got the fish alongside, the schooner keepin' alonf,
but we were afraid o' passin' the rope, thinkin' it might pull aout
the iron. Wal, we gradually hauled in, an' I stood up, holdin' an oar
up ready to hit the brute on the head, when it gave a kind o' luno-e
or side cut, takin' the oar right between my hands, an' knockin' me
head over heels down in the bottom o' the boat. In the confusion,
the man in the how slacked the rope, and the next minute, crunch
came the fish, and up it's so'd came through the plankin', stickin'
about a foot into the boat, not three feet from me. I had sense
enough to grab it, an' while I hung on, an' lashed it with the painter,
the boys pulled alongside, an' we got him aboard. He measured
fourteen foot — a pretty big fellow.
"In fair weather they lie mostly on the surface, an' whether they're
asleep or jest sunnin' themselves, it's hard to tell. It's a great sight
to see 'em in among the bony fish; they go just like a cavalryman,
strikin' up and down, right an' left, killin' hundreds o' 'em, an' I've
seen 'em keep a-doin' it, which shows the^ kind o'Uke thpfuQof it.
J8e§ onpe r"
MT8TEBIE8 OF THE DEEP SEA. ' 209
But here there came a cry from nlnff o„j •
were on their feet ' *"^ '" * °^«°^«»* «» hands
one hundred vMds distant e.itt „I !t u .u ^ ""''" ""^ »'"'""
.l.e sun, the sha,,,fl„„t gilds' ^="' ''' """"• "'"^ «'""■'« ">.
■■Luff a little.- cried the skipper to the man who had taken the
FEROaOUS ATTACK OF SWORD -nSH,
jljsijiii*^
210
SEA AND LAND.
his place in the pulpit, ready for the fray. The line was ckared, and
one of the hands took the gayly-colored keg and stood ready to toss it
over. Gradually the schooner and fish drew nearer, and finally, by a
sign from the mate, the helmsman put the wheel hard down, and the
vessel rushed up into the wind, bringing the great fish fairly across
the bows.
For a moment the skipper's arms were raised; a gleam of steel, a
rush of rope, and the metallic lily was buried in the fish, that, hurlin<'
its scythe-like tail in th»«4r, covered the harpooner with spray as it
dashed away. Another harpoon being lashed on the pulpit, the skip-
per stepped aboard.
*' Stand clear ! " shouted the man with the keg, and with a final hiss
the last coil leaped from the tub, the keg going over with a jerk, and
rushing away over the sea to tire out the gamy fish.
The vessel now set a big balloon-jib in' hot pursuit, but another hail
from aloft changed the course, and soon ihe Laughing Dolly was fall-
ing away sharp to cross the path of another fish ; that, however, was
found to be asleep.
♦' I never could make aout," said the skipper, making way for the
mate who was to try his hand, '* whether they're asleep or what ; but
most every so'dfish we get is lyin' still on the surface, and I reckon
if fish do sleep, they're a-doin' it."
In a few moments the big balloon-jib was flapping and thundering
in the wind ; sail was shortened, and we were well aboard the second
fish, the harppon soon sent,hissing into the luckless victim, and soon
two kegs were in sight to be followed.
'• I've had half a dozen over at one time," said the skipper, ** an' I
tell ye it makes a mar look alive to keep his glimmers on 'em."
A hail from the top now told that we were gaining on the first fish,
and it was soon evident from the deck that the powers of the gamy
fish were on the wane, and in half an hour the barrel, now stationary,
was alongside. The dory that was tossing astern was hauled along-
side, and into it tumbled two of the hands, and the writer as vol-
unteer, and, casting off, we pulled for the keg.
♦• Look out ! " yelled the man in the bow, as he grasped the keg
and tossed it into the boat, taking a turn with the line.
But the warning was too late. The fish feeling the haul, started off,
throwing the writer down among the oars and bailers, and amid tlic
shouts of the lookers-on we rushed away as if shot out of a gun,
212
SEA AND LAND.
huddled in the stern that was high in the air, the bow being buried in
foam by the maddened fish.
Under this spurt the schooner was l6ft far astern, and as the speed
diminished the men laid hold of the rope and endeavored to take in
the slack. Every movement, however, caused a renewal of the ter-
rific burst of speed ; but, as there is an end to all things, we finally
gained slowly on the fish, and before long had it alongside and lashed.
The writer incautiously looked over the side and attempted to grasj)
the creature's tail, when, with a tremendous effort, the fish doubled
ui), cutting a vicious blow over the boat that would have been hard to
parry, l>ut the men skillfully caught the sword and lashed it while we
awaited tire arrival of the schooner, that in the meai?^ime had secured
the other fish. Once alongside, a block and ta(^kle were rigged, and the
struggling yet helpless monster, that was fourteen feet long and must
have weighed seven hundred pounds, was hoisted aboard, and the
vessel was soon on her course for other fields to conquer.
" If yaou ever get hold of their so'd, yaou've got 'em," said the
skipper, as we watched the dismemberment of the swordsman. " I've
seen 'em sleepin' — if they do sleep — and grabbed hold of the so'd
and held 'em and brought 'em in shore. Bite? Not often ; but I've
seen 'em bite at a line ; but it's rare. They like to run into a school
of bony fish or mackerel and do their own killin'. Some folks say
thev don't use their so'ds to kill fish, but I've seen 'em do it, an'
what's more, I've caught a henp o' fish wid their so'd broke off agin
the bottom, ships an' whales, and everyone of 'em was so poor they
didn't amaount to nf»thin'. No, I never see a young one, and what's
more, they don't come araound the coast. I've got a standin' offer
of a hundred dollars for the first so'd-fish under a foot long ; but it's
a safe one, as I say they don't breed here."
This is one of the most interesting facts concerning the sword-
fish. They do not breed on our shores, evidently crossing the ocean
for that purpose^ like the tunny and several others. The young have
never been nearer our coast than the mid-Atlantic, and then would
scarcely be recognized as sword-fish, so unlike the parent are they in
form.
The adult fish of the genus Xiphias is extremely common upon our
eastern shores, and attains a length of fifteen or sixteen feet, and a
weight of over one thousand pounds, their fishery forming an import-
ant industry from Maine to Long Island, and hundreds of men and
ye-i^els being employed. The j5sU Jfinda a ready market, thp weat
MTSTEMES OF THE DEEP 8EA. ' 213
somewhat resembling mackerpi f« ^rU- u r ..
SWORD -Fi5U STABBING A TUNNY.
VKH?i!^
^^^
^^c::^z^;:;r:xr'' *- ""--^"^^ -«>-
iu
ft«A AKD LAND.
From the earliest times sword-fishing is mentioned, the sport being
described by Strabo and many authorities and naturalists of the early
days, ^lian described it as entering rivers, and Southey records one
that pierced and killed a man while bathing in the Severn near
Worcester.
The use of the " sword," says Wood, is not clearly ascertained.
In all probability the fish employs this curious weapon in gaining its
subsistence, but the precise mode of ho doing is not known. It is
an ascertained fact that the sword-fish will sometimes attack whales
and seals and stab them mortally with its dreadful weapon. It is
also known that this fish has several times driven its beak so deeply
into a ship's heavy bottom timbers, that it was broken off by the
shook. The following may be related in confirmation of this well
established fact. '
ATTACKED BY A SWORD-FISH.
In the year 1868, the Clyde built merchant vessel, Dreadnaught,
while passing through the Mediterranean, was struck by a sword-fish
with such terrific force that her bottom was pierced and timbers
sprung below the water-line. The shock was at first supposed to be
caused by the vessel striking, though the sounding lead showed no
bottom. Directly after a monster was seen floundering on the sea,
and hooks were speedily prepared with the hope of capturing it, but
all effort was without avail, and in turning their attention finally
from the fish, the crew discovered that the vessel was leaking badly ;
further examination showed that her hull had been perforated, but
while the captain was now convinced that his vessel was suffering
from the thmst of a sword-fish, the beak had not been broken off in
the timbers, and the proof was therefore only circumstantial. The
vessel was put into harbor as soon as possible and claims for insur-
ance made. The insurance company, however, resisted the claim,
under the plea that the risk did not cover such a casualty, and'a pro-
tracted suit in the English courts followed. The final result, I am
sorry to say, I have never been able to learn. Professor Owen, the
well-known naturalist, was made a witness in the case on the proba-
bility of such an accident, and his testimony was conclusive. He
related a number of instances of the prodigious power of the sword-
fish, stuiliig that it could strike with the force of an artillery pro-
jectile, the fish being perhaps the swiftest swimmer in the sea, while
his *' sword " is almost as hard and strong as steel.
MT8TERIE8 OP THE DEEP SEA.
.he.thi„K, „e,t throaih aVLrr /f.^ «""* ""■""Sh the copper
oakl,o«,^li„i„y .™7l" 1° '«""-d. «>«■' through three inches of
.nd auuck ior:ron ctk . S;™ '""/ "'.'"'"' "hite^ak timber
^^aMIcoak, altogether perforating a sheet of copper
?lT:rvr;L"i':'!^. «■"•'"[, .^» '« ^""Hf. if a ,o,ia Shot
fl6
SSA AND LAin>.
The food of the sword-fish is rather varied, consisting of cuttle-fish,
especially the squid, and of small fishes, neither of which animals
would in any way fall victims to the sword. It certainly has been
said that the weapon is used for transfixing the flat-fish as they
lie on the bed of the sea, but this assertion does not appear to bo
worthy of credit.
ADVENTURE OF THREE DIVERS WITH A SWORD-FISH.
The bold character of the sword-fish is in striking contrast with the
general timidity of fishes, and it not infrequently occurs that this
well-armed warrior exhibits a bravery and savageness which goes far
to prove him to be the most fearless, as well as dangerous, enemy
that lives in the bounding waves. The following case in point may
serve to illustrate this assertion :
In the spring of 1886, a sloop, with yaluable cargo, was lost off the
coast of Martha Vineyard Island. The vessel lay in only nine fathoms
of water, and the owners resolved to recover the freight, and, if pos-
sible, to also raise the sloop. In pursuance of this resolve, they em-
ployed three expert divers, who, on a comparatively still day, repaired
to the spot and descended to the wreck. They had been down only
a few minutes when one of them was much alarmed by the sudden
appearance of a dark shadow, which hung above him like a cloud,
and which he thought was a man-eating shark. He lost no time in
communicaLing his fears to nis companions, and the three at once
prepared to fight for their lives.
The experience of ocean-divers is a nard one, and teaches them the
necessity of being always well-armed when visiting the haunts of
ocean monsters, for there is constant dread of fateful adventure with
some shark, sword-fish, octopus or dog-fish.
After a few moments of suspense the divers were thoroughly en-
lightened as to the kind of enemy that was threatening them, for,
with a graceful sweep of its broad tail, which made a swirl that nearly
raised them off their feet, a great sword-fish swooped down and
thrust its powerful weapon between the men, knocking one of them
down, but fortunately doing little damage. That the design of the
fish was to fight, or drive the invaders from his briny realm, was ap-
parent from the first attack, but he emphasized this purpose by turn-
ing and again rushing with savage impetuosity at one of the divers,
who would certainly have been impaled but for the thick copper hel-
met he wore, and which was the object of the fish's attack. The
MYSTKBIlia or THB DEEP 8KA. nj
shock was, iievertheloss, terrific, and knocks 1,!.^ fl . ^ ,
.e„.ele»8. At thU juncture another dWer had X . " """'
...i„d to seize the creature by itsZTjai thVfl h •""'"''"' °'
tivclj heiplexs when its weanon !. f / ?u '^ '^ oompara-
with their i„„g di k kni"e7w"th wh V*H •"'"'""" '"''P""''''' "
The adventure Ld a niostfo'rtTnln 7 ^^."*" '"'PP"^ ''™'^-
- .at one or _ ortS^Tsr::' ^^^ :rj4-:;:
THE SAILOR SWORD-FISH.
a* Zl f: IT;--'^' -™'- -> -«' ^»«-U3 fish that rav.
THE SAILOR awORD - R8H.
Ihe sailor sword-fish is sometimes called the Fan or C5„:, « u .
318
SEA AND L4in>.
fin. Those both of the Atlantic and Mediterranean possess tbis fin in
its full proportions only during the earlier stages of their growth.
Its dimensions even then are much smaller than in the Indian species ;
and it is a curious fact, that it gradually decreases as the fish ap-
proaches to maturity; whereas, in the seas around Ceylon, it retains
its full size throughout the entire period of life. They raise it above
the water while dashing along the surface in their rapid course, and
there is no reason to doubt that it occasionally acts as a sail. "
ADVENTURES WITH THE SAW • FISH.
Somewhat resembling, and yet entirely different in habits and dis-
position from the sword-fish, is the Saw-fish, which though carnivor-
ous is a most inoffensive creature everywhere except among its prey.
The sword-fish has possibly been misrepresented, for all it does oc-
casionally attack vessels with apparently wicked intent. The fact is,
the sword-fish sometimes becomes infested with a parasite, a crusta-
cean of the LerncB family, which burrows into its flesh and bites so
viciously that the poor fish grows fairly delirious with pain ; in this
most unhappy condition, from which there is no relief, the sword-fish
strikes maddening and distracted blows which occasionally full upon
the hull of a vessel. It is most probable that all such attacks are niuclo
out of frenzy caused by worrying parasites, and not due to a ferocious
disposition to harm the vessel or man. For this reason I have chosen
to regard the sword-fish as an innocent creature.
CHARACTER OF THE SAW -FISH.
The saw-fish is found throughout a wide range of seas, and is one
of the most terrible appearing animals that cleave the ocean. It
grows to a length of nearly twenty feet, and in addition to its saw-
like beak it has a dreadfully wicked-looking eye, appearances Avhich
utterly belie its true character. The snout of the eaw-fish is a pro-
longed beak flattened like a sword, six feet long, and the edges are
armed with a row of powerful teeth deeply imbedded in the boue.
The tip of the saw, as if specially tempered by nature for severe
service, is covered with extremely hard grarular scales. Like the
sword-fish, it has an antipathy for the whale, and frequently attacks
the huge cetacean, thrusting its saw into the thick blubber and caus-
ing dreadful wounds; being very agile, it easily avoids the blows
directed by the whale, and seldom suffers injury from its monstrous
enemy. Captain Drayson says he has frequently seen saw-fish charge
into a shoal of herring and mackerel, and by vigorously striking right
MYSTERIES OF THE DEEP SEA. gig
and left with its serrated weapon, kill large numbers, upon which it
afterward fed. This fact explains the purpose designed by nature in
giving to the saw-fish such a formidable weapon.
Captain Wilson, commanding the HaUfax, relates the foliowins
adventure which he had with a saw-fish some years ago :
BATTLE WITH A SAW- FISH,
-Boing in the Gulf of Paria, in the ship's cutter, I fell i„ with a
Spanish canoe manned by two men, then in great distress, who be.r<,ed
me to assist them to save their lines and canoe. Going to their i^Tief
THE SAW- FISH.
and coming alongside their boat, I discovered that they had got a
large saw-hsh entangled in their turtle-net, which was towing them
out to sea and but for my assistance they must have lost their net or
canoe, and perhaps both, which were their only means of subsistence.
Having only two boys with me at the time in the boa^. T ,\.a-.a ,u^^
to «ut u,v.y the fi.sh, which, however, they refused to do." I then
took the bight of the net from them, and with the joint endeavors of
themselves and my boat's crew,.we succeeded in hauling up the net,
220
SfiA AND LAND.
and to our astonishment, after great exertions, we raised the saw of
the fish about eight feet above the surface of the water. It was a
fortunate thing the fish came up with the belly toward the boat, or it
might have cut it in two.
'* I had abandoned all idea of taking the fish until, by great good
luck, it made toward the land, when I made another attempt, and
having about three hundred feet of rope in the boat, we succeeded in
making a running bowline round the saw of the fish, and this we
fortunately made fast on shore. When the fish found itself secured,
it plunged so violently that I could not prevail on any one to go netu*
it ; the appearance it presented was truly awful. I immediately went
alongside the Lima packet. Captain Singleton, and got the assistance
of all his ship's crew, but by the tin^e they arrived the fish was lees
violent. We hauled upon the net again, in which it was still en-
tangled, and got another three hundred feet of line made fast to the
saw, and attempted to haul it toward the shore ; but, although mus-
tering thirty hands, we could not move it an inch. By this time the
negroes belonging to Mr. Danglad's estate came flocking to our
assistance, making together about one hundred in number, with the
Spaniards. We then hauled on both ropes for nearly the day before
the fish became exhausted. On endeavoring to raise the fish it be-
came most desperate, sweeping with its saw from side to side, so
that we were compelled to get strong ropes to prevent it from cutting
us to pieces. After that one of the Spaniards got on its back, and at
great risk cut through the joint of the tail, when animation was at
once suspended. It was then measured, and found to be tweifty-two
feet long and eight feet broad, and weighed nearly five tons."
ENCOUNTER WITH A SAW- FISH.
Dr. Quackenbush, the port physician at Mayport, Florida, an invet-
erate hunter and fisherman, related to me the particulars of a savage
fight he had in the summer of 1883 with a gigantic saw-fish, near the
mouth of St. John's river. The Doctor stated that he was in a
small row-boat with his little daughter, nine years of age, fishing for
sea-bass, when a sudden jerk of his line admonished him that some
large creature had attacked the bait. Instead of responding to the
pull given, the fish made off at a moderate speed and was so heavy
out all the line, but so slowly that it gave lime for another one to be
added, and continued swimming away from the boat until four lines,
MYSTERIES OF THE DEEP SEA. £21
the line allowp*1 if k ,• ^t-uei ceiemoiij. 1 he strain whch
tnei.ue allowed -It being a quarter of an inch plaited silk-at len<rfh
caused the fish to turn -mH mot^ * • u^ — ai length
had not shown it.e.f, sudden,^ shot up a t^ b« wlu^tnlr
and began etrik iig, apnaientiv hli„Il„ t ■ , length,
reached the boat, whenfluroleterfi^'tr-T'' "* "''"'' ""'" ''
of the »tern dow, to th !".?'." '*^: '■'''=.!' " "":" "-'^ '»" feet
ofthe^tern down to the wate.- Vd: T Ldo^ or'r '7"'' '"" ''''
^^^^^^^a^^,.^^_^___ ^'^p^' -•■"t' uoctov had now to run
A TERRIBLE FIGHT WITH A SAW -FISH
222
SEA AND I.ANp.
succeeded in reaching only after two hours of the hardest labor, the
fish in the meantime being itself much exhausted by a long continued
effort to get away. As the Doctor reached the bank some men, who
had watched the contest, but having no boat were unable to render
any assistance, ran down and four of them seized the rope by which
the saw-fish was made fast, and attempted to draw it ashore ; the des-
perate throes of the creature rendered the effort vain, so that three
others, seven men in all, were required to land it. When drawn on
land it was measured and proved to be sixteen feet in length.
I was shown the saw-bill of this great fish, which the Doctor had
cut off and preserved as a trophy of his queer adventure. It was
nearly four inches
broad at the base and
two inches at the iDoint,
and was armed with
twenty -two murderous-
looking bony daggers
on each side, none of
which had been broken
by its savage attack on
the boat.
The pearl-fishers
about the coast of North
Australia regard the
saw-fish .vith kindly
feelings, and cultivate
a friendliness with it
under the belief that
its presence gives them good luck. Frequently, as the diver descends,
he carries with him a bit of meat as an offering tp the fish, and so
tame do the creatures become under this treatment, that they will
often follow the pearl-fisher and remain in the closest proximity to
him ^or hours at a time.
THE FEROCIOUS DOQ*FI8H.
There are several species of the Dog-fish, including the little dog-
fish, small-spotted dog-fish, lesser-spotted shark, picked dog-fish,
morsrav. and Robin Huss. Though none of the snenip» aftnin to Iho
size of the shark, they are scarcely less ferocious, and are the greatest
©viU with which fishermea have to contend. The Picked Dog-fish
A FRIENDLY VISITOR.
MYSTERIES OF THE DEEP SEA. j}23
shape and .udde„,y .aunche: oTu pet' ^ hoTti?]" " ^"''-
Fortunately this species does not grow to any coLu^r^l T
nat capable of doing any serions damage ^ """'"'*™'"^ "=«• ""d »
The spotted dog-fish might be called the wolf-fish with perfect Bro
pnety s,„ee its disposition is ferocions. and besides "fa a gtat If"
the-vess'ei, ^<X 1^:^ ^:^zr;^T 7! zt""^ ''''''
calm and the sun shilling, I could JJ Z \ ■. '"" 1"''*
almost perfect, and as it'^howed , H;' 'oT^ZiTl l^tTT
a space of several minutes. In all mv -ife T ZT '^' "^ '"■"■
f«l or graceful thing than tbisVs ,7hil is JpItZ .'l J""™,"*"""-
aad seemed to feel a pleasure in exhibih,<.T.«.r 1 " '""P"^
and symmetrical motion tI^ J " '" """ '"°"' t'mUMe
.Bea truing half :;tU7„:ra'r:i:ir::;fre:;'r '•''""'""'•
.ingtiut my admiration was unbounded IrLZ^ '^° '" '="-
Ihad no food at hand to cive i f .u '. f«g««ed very much that
needed to be enc^ed o ma "„ T ''"''' \'7'''''' ""'^
desire to get closer *'"™ * P'*' ■"" ^ l>ad no
.Ssj^rxtlix^uST:"/-
entire catch of herring, hadd^randn °„tf:."T^^^^^^
alsoahab t o* takino-nii fK^u -4. • ,. . "»«iu* nsn. 1 hey have
«s either. ;^d'^:KJ;ra:o;;^^^^^^^^^^
Shi^oTh"- • r '" """""^ '»" '- ttetherr r dTb*:;
thl shot «r.^und\hfschoo, ^ir'fi i: ''T« '" *'" P"P"-' ''™
"...v.^ two thousll;: Ifal^fetlf- "'" """'""'' ''"^ '" "
A fl U ^ °°^ *'^° "**" EATEN BY DOQ - PISH
at Town's End^^ime "trbijr* ""'' T" 'P™'''"« ">« '""''I term
oay. The IitUe boat was anchored oit a Aort di.tanc
224
SEA AND LAND.
tanoe from shore, and the man undressed and swam out to get it, but
he had o'one only a few yards, his wife sitting on the shore watching
him, when he gave a scream and leaped up half out of water, but in
the next moment he disappeared, and nothing was seen of him again.
Tlie fisherman procured a boat, from some distance up the shore, and
rowed back to the scene where the distressing accident occurred, but
he could discover no signs of the unfortunate man, but saw a school
of spotted dog-fish, that were so ravenous they even bit his oars. The
mystery was thus explained.
An accident somewhat similar occurred the year before up the
Georges. A schooner came into the bay having on board only three
men and the ten year old boy of the skipper. On the evening of
the schooner's arrival, by some unlucky chance, the little boy fell
overboard. His father was standiiig near him at the time of the
accident, but before he could act the little fellow was seized by a
school of dog-fish and torn to pieces ; so numerous were the fish that,
as they attacked the boy, they appeared like an animated ball,
tangled up like a thousand angle worms.
Thouo'h the flesh of the dog-fish is said to be not unpalatable,
there is a prejudice against eating it, and those that are caught are
used principally for fertilizing purposes. From the heart, however,
is extracted a very excellent oil, and the skin is valuable for sword-
handles and instrument cases.
A NOTED SWIMMER ATTACKED BY A DOG-FISH.
Few persons have not heard of Paul Boynton, who has floated down
nearly all the great streams of the world in his peculiar rubber suit,
and o-iven aquatic exhibitions in the harbors of Europe, Asia, South
America and the United States. Having spent so much of his time
in the water it is not strange that he should have met with many ad-
ventures, dangerous as well as amusing. During one of his visits to
St. Louis he related to the writer the particulars of an exciting inci-
dent which befell him while passing through the Straits of Messina,
near the Italian coast, in 1882.
Boynton was passing from the town of Messina, in Sicily, to the
neio-hboring shore of Italy, and when near the latter coast he noticed
following behind, keeping pace with his own movement in the water,
a nsii wuicu uc tuougut at nrst was & snarxj, mougu tie remariicct rnfi
absence of a high dorsal fin, which is usually the first thing seen of the
eburk wbea it approaches the surface. At ftU tijgaes, wbei^ in 8*It
water, tV
at any t]
MTSTEIilKS OF TirE BEEl- SEJ. 225
water, the swimnier is well armed to meet the atlnok, wM.K
at a„, ..,ue be n.aUe b, some „„.„3ter of the J o/thif o^
Tte pursuing fish did not make itself e.early seen for some time.
226
8EA AND LAND.
keeping well under water, but watchful and persistent, evidently
seeking for a favorable opportunity to catch his prey at a disadvan-
tage. Boynton placed his knife between his teeth, where it could he
most readily seized, and then plied his double-bhided oar with greater
vigor in the hope of shaking off his pursuer. The fish, however, was
determined, and growing every moment bolder, at length swum beside
him and kept a steady pace less than five 3 ards distant. Boynton
was now made acquainted with the character of his visitor, for it
plainly showed itself, and he saw that the creature was a monster dog-
fish, in whose green eyes was the devilish look that makes the shark
so dreaded. The purpose of the flesh-loving fish was soon after exhib-
ited, for ceasing its movements for a moment, as if gathering greater
strength for the exertion, it gave a tremendous spring toward the
swimmer, with horrid gaping jaws, in which gleamed several rows of
dagger-like teeth. Boynton was so well ju'epared for the attack, how-
ever, that he received the desperate creature with a swift thrust of
his knife that struck it in the head, so that its mouth closed with a
loud snap short of its intended prey. Following up his advantage,
Boynton plied his weapon vigorously and succeeded in not only beating
off the enemy, but also in inflicting upon it such deep wounds thut
the fish retreated, no doubt fatally injured, for the surrounding water
was dyed with blood, and the movements of the fish indicated that it
was badly hurt.
TWO BOYS BE8IEQED BY DOG- FISH.
In the spring of 1885, a pilot-boat was sunk off the coast of Maine,
about two miles from Portland, and, lodging upon the banks, a con-
siderable portion of the mast remained labove water. One Sunday,
when the sea was still, two boys rowed out to the wreck, and finding
the mast solid, they got out upon it, where they fell to playing with
each other until, in some manner, their boat became loosened and
floated off, to their great horror. Intensely alarmed at their perilous
position, they shouted in vain and waved their handkerchiefs with the
hope of attracting the attention of passing vessels or some one from
shore. Two hours or more were spent in this vain endeavor, when
suddenly their attention was attracted to the green, shining body of a
large dog-fish that swept by underneath their dangerous perch, cast-
ing up its wicked eyes as if whetting its appetite for a cnnteraplated
feast. It swam off and disappeared, but soon came back again,
bringing with it a school of its horrid fellows, which now began fran-
tic ef« ort
to exerci
MYSTERIES OF THE DEEP SEA. £27
tic ef.orts to reach the terribly affrighted vouth. TV, a u
to exercise the ffreatesfron^ ' * 'irntea youths. The fish appeared
gieatest rea. .„, for, backing off, they would dart for-
• - ft* "'•I'cim.j'-'fYi-Hfii ''rffflififiii
S"ix^tK trc.^t-L--Kr« •
228
8EA AND I.AND.
feet. This continued for another hour, while «ach minute added to
the number of fish, until more than five hundred were at length bo-
sieging the boys, and their savage leaps became so terrifying that the
lads could scarcely retain their position for fright.
After the adventurers had been on their perch for nearly five
hours, they were discovered by a steam-vessel, that first put into
port and reported the circumstance, v/hen several row-boats \v'ere
sent to their assistance. As the boats came into the school of dog-
fish, they were set upon and could only be beaten off by vigorous blows
from the oars wielded by the several men that came to the rescue,
while two of the boats were struck so hard that their planks were
sprung and they could only be kept afloat by constant bailing.
THE STURGEON.
In the Sturgeon we have a fish that jiosses^es a cuirass almost equal
to that of the alligator, and an appearance as forbidding as the shark,
which it nearly rivals in size, yet it is destitute of the power or dis-
position to do harm. The great sturgeon, which frequently attains the
length of twelve feet and a weight of one thousand pounds, is found
in all the rivers that flow into the Caspian and Black Seas; and on
account of its highly esteemed flesh, the caviare which is made of its
eggs, and the isinglass which is mad^from its air-bladder, it is hunted
with great persistency by Russian fishermen. The manner of taking
this great fish may be described as follow,. •
Stakes are driven into the river-bed so as to close the stream en-
tirely, except ar. one place, where an opening is left barely suflScient
to let the sturgeon pass. Toward this center gate-way the dike
forms an angle opposed to the current, and the opening leads into an
inclosure consisting of fillets, if the time be winter, or of osier-
hurdles if it be summer, and over the gate-way a scaffold is erected,
on which the fish-men station themselves to look out for the fish.
When it enters the opening a gate is dropped so as to prevent its
return, and the bottom of the inclosure, which is movable, is raised,
and the fish easilv taken .
The fishermen are informed during the day of the approach of
turgeons to the inclosure by the movement they communicate to
1
)rd8 suspended to floating corks on the water. During the night the
•Vi onfc
fh
o mnlnaiiro
f<
a.orifafinor Inv thojr mnvamanfa ofhflr
O O 9/
i»nrr1s
ranged round the hurdles. The agitation communicated to the cords
'sufficient to shut the gates behind ; they are thus imprisoned by the
229
RUSSIAN MODE OF CAPTURING THE STURGEON.
m
6tA AND tAm>.
dropping f)f the «j;at(', whirh in falling, causes a bell to ring to wake
the watching fit^herman on the scaffold, should he be sleep! g.
Another plan of capturing sturgeons is employed in various part«
of Southern Russia. A great number of fishermen assemble in their
boats, and proceed abreast toward retreats of the fish, nets being
spread as they row forward, until the sturgeons are completely sur-
rounded, then by a violent beating of the water the fish are excited,
and dart about until they are all fast in the nets.
Caviare is made from the roe of the sturgeon, as much as eight
hundred pounds of which having been taken from a single fish. It is
made by removing all the membranes, and then washing the roe in
vinegar or white wine. It is next dried thoroughly, well salted, and
then subjected to a strong pressure in order to force out uU moisture
caused by the wet-absorbing properties of the salt, and is after^'aid
packed in kegs for sale.
In making isinglass the air-bladder is removed from the fish, washed
carefully in fresh water, and then hung up for a day or two to stiffen.
The outer coat of membrane then becomes separable and is peeled
off, while the remainder is cut up into strips. These strips afford so
large a qu;\ntity of gelatinous matter, that one part of isinglass dis-
solved in a hundred parts of boiling water, will form a stiff jelly
when cold.
In former times the sturgeon was considered a royal dish, both in
England and Rome, and in Russia to-day it is more highly esteemed
than any other fish, but my opinion of it, judging by a dish of stur-
geon which I ate in Moscow, is anything but favorable, and I believe
it is not now eaten anywhere out of Russia.
STORIES OF THE DOLPHIN AND ITS KIN.
Having considered some of the ferocious and dangerous subjects of
old ocean's melancholy dominion, let us now turn to the more placid
characters, in which the spirit of revenge and the power of destruction
is either wanting or of compaiatively slight development. First of
these, because best known and most celebrated in history, embalmed
in the most beautiful legends and apothessized by the greatest of
ancient poets, is the Dolphin, first cousin to the fanciful mermaid and
the genius of loving devotion. By the ancients the dolphin was dedi-
cated to Apollo, who was worshipiied with extravagant ceremonials at
Delphi, where he was represented as sitting upon a throne supported by
dolphins, and sometimes as riding a dolphin. The name is doubtless
MYBTERIins OP THE DEEP 8BA.
931
denved iTKt.from Delphi, wh. re the omcles were deiiveml and
second from Dauphin, the heir apparent to the throne o^France or
rather from the province of Dauphiny. from whence the title of
Datiphm arose.
Dolphins are always seen in large schools, and they have a habit, not
thoroughly understood, of gamboling, in which they throw thon.selves
by a 8lowplung..so as to show only their curved backs above thJ
ya er. When thus tumbling of a clear day. they present a beautiful
stght the.r lustrous bodie. reflecting the sheen of burnished gold,
mingled with iridescent colors of bewildering .splendor. There are
two spec.es. the -sea-peacock " and the - blue-fish," receiving their
appellations from the variety of their gorgeous decorations. Though
covered with only a slick skin.,the light is decomposed when striking
their bodies, almost as if it were a prism. ^
THE DOLPHIN.
A beautiful Hsh a„d full of grace, yet the dolphin is a most vora-
,ou, oreatun, rarely hesitating to gratify its ravenous appetite ev"
upon ,ts own speces, but its principal prey is the ilying-fish, which it
pursues w„h such constancy as leads to th,. beiief'that its hunter is
ZluT^ ""■''"'•k. *;;'"""'" '''"' ""» S'""" »" -™"-' des^ril^
CHASED AY A DOLPHIN.
"Shortly after observing a cluster of flying-Ssh rise out of the
waer we discovered two or three dolphins ranging past the ship in
-cb woiide^urs^:-: -^z i:::::^^::^^:^:^
her progress through the water, soon put up another shoal otaZ
SGA Am> LAND.
little things, which, as the others had done, took their flight directly to
windward. A large dolphin, which had been keeping company with
us, abreast of the weather gangway, at the depth of two or three
fathoms, and, as usnal, glistening most beautifully in the sun, no
eoonsr detected our poor, dear little friends take wings, than he turned
his head toward
them and, darting
to the surface,
leaped f r o ni the
water with a velo-
city little short, it
seemed, of a cun-
non-ball. But,
although the im-
petus with which
he shot himself in-
to the air gave
him an initial
velocity greatly
exceeding that of
the flying-fish, the
start which his
fated prey had got,
enabled them to
keep ahead of him
for a considerable
time.
•♦ The length of
the dolphin's first
ijpring could not
bo less than ten
yards, and after he
fell we could see
him gliding liko
lightning through the watei for a moment, when he again arose and
shot forward with a considerably greater force than at first, and of
(«ocmed to stride along with fearful rapidity, while his brilliant coat
sparkled and flashed in the sun quite splendidly. Ashe fell headlong
MYSMRIES OF THE DEEP SEA. ^33
on the water at the end of each huge lean a sflr,-«= «# • ^
f.r ov„ the surface, which ,ay ., f^'o'o^h IZZfor'"' """' ''"*
"Thegroup of wretched flvinir.flsh th,,. i,„,i ,
dropped into the sea, but we we e'llioLd ^ T""'"'' °' '*"«*
n.e™.. touched the to^ of the"L:ra:drate,;°s:; kTit.t'.e'aT
SaT^:r:i:i''r:-rtrr^^^^^^^^^
wasquite different from the one 7n wh , h u .""' ""^y """ """'
bat too obviously, that^heyhad te^ d thZ ^"^ '""' ''T'^"'*-
following them with giant^steps on the av s Id !,"""'' ™ '" ™
them rapidly. His terrific pace was 117;! "7 «»'!""S »"
swift as theirs, poor little things ' *™ "^ *''™'' '""« «»
.;:g-th!:;thtt%t;Te;;drL^^^^^^
their flight in the emallestXree h^ToU n„T'r"^r u'"' ™''*"^
second in shaping a new on.,Z^ . *'"' '""*'' P"'' »' «
tb»y, in a ma„L°°notreaTly :: k; tl hi e" T I'^'^ f'""" """o
once on their pursuer Bui I .»? ' 7'^^ '""''' "■"■■« "»»
the strength and confld! e 'of'-LX it fi h "" "" ^ ^"" *■""
Their flights became shorter and shorter"^ a,fdttir" "'* ""'"'"S-
tering and uncertain wl.il. *i "*'• "'"^ """' raii'se more flut-
.ppearedtogrwrr;;tlu?«t''''TT'".'°"P^ "' "'o ^.-Iphin
we could see'or ^ancTdr: M ellatX ;uinrr""''^' """""'•
armnged all his springs with such !„ . ' ^""""l-ortsmaD
contrived to fall at the end I^f u ■'""""'' "' ™««^«». that he
which the exhau ted flyinlll, waTa J^.' '!;"'" *'"' ^''^ «"»' "»
catastrophe took nlace alV . , '° ^"'^'- Sometimes this
deokexactly What haTDened iT " ""'*""" '"'^ "' *'' "" ft'™ 'he
g.»g, we m^yt tidThat; bl t ^urd"":!"^;''^'; """ """ ">
•liscover that the unfortunate lit.! T. , ""• ''"■ *''*" "« """^'i
WPed right into the dolPh , tw as tZS^VV'?"'""*''"'-' """«
we« snapped up instantly afterwarf. ' ''^'•'''' "'' """ '™'"' "'
"It was impossible not to t.ilt« .., »„.■ • ^
friends of the weaker side „n^ «» act've interest in our little
o»r revenge. Trmrddies.'nd he""; "!.'^,."'' ™''^ «P=«di'y had
'i?«edour. do.e„rt:.rii:fe:rmV:^:t^^^^^^^^
r/xcibr sru^h^nrbT'^f '' -^"^^^^^^^^^^^^
"..nyaproud dolrhin! ma ng^'^'^t^, !"? ," "^^^ »' "-« flv".g-«sh,
"Pture at the glittering prize" "' '"°"'*'' '™P'"1 *»
234
SEA AND LAND.
tHE EYED PTERA0LI8.
Very closely allied to the flying-fish, and with a beauty which rivals
that of any other creature of the sea, is the strange looking fish
illustrated below, and known by the name of Eyed PteracUs, so
called on account of the dark-blue round spot found near the edge of
its expansive dorsal fin. This peculiar species is found in great
THE EYED PTERACLIS.
numbers along the Mozambique coast ; it is also occasionally met with
along the American shores, but not so often as to make it a well-
sv..-. TTii iti^ix v'.f ptv/pic \n \.!u.L OOaal. jin cOiwi it IS iSUIIICWIlUt llKO lIlC
tarpon, with beautiful, burnished side?, and a golden gleam upon the
pectoral and tail fins, while its other fins are tinted with dark-blue.
MYSTERIES Of THE DEEP SEA. 335
UEQEND8 OF THE DOLPHIN.
to ships i„st as sharks are t„ fled off !h„ ," '"•»''""'<=''''
dolphi,. feeds off ,he s^a., fisfe/ThVl ^if; Z^TX^ T
to n,ofest any one whr^ilf T'.™''"',""' ^''P"" '»!'' ""t »««
they regarded' rdl.p^rfrjefrnr^Jli'./r "^ ^ """"^
oordingly, with the^«*.., „f Munehansen " ''""" ""■
Among the authors who have soncrhf f« «.* ut 1. x.
Jm
mmi^-^
^ ^^n-i^^Ki^S-^*— ?;^
""■^^ftfc.:;-?^ J^^?^^
^^^- >.-"^^^/ "'•^-i*'^
THF. CORYPHENE.
«i4<6SZ4^
":e™r xn-ori^r^re:;-'*''^™" '^'-^^ '""«>'
"has mistaken a seal for a dlhin '" f''"'»»"f'' «■»«>*» Boitard,
•nd may be true in ever: n^' ■' f^^"! ^self perfectly ,
Kiated to one of the herbrvnl,',. I ' "* "."" "^ ''"'""•'«• " ''
togong. herbivorous cetacea, such as the manatee or
The name. » Sirenida," which has been bestowed upon them.
2r
seA AMi> tAim.
reminds us cf those fabulous beings, half human, half iSsh, so fre-
quently celebrated in ancient mj'thology. Many modern naturalists
have identified with the manatee and dugong, those tritons with their
wreathed shell horns, those melodious and fatally fascinating sirens
and those charmingly beautiful nereids, who have been immortalized
by the poets of Greece and Rome.
Mangin remarks: **The ugly creatures which we now call the
sirenidm are i^ery far apart, and inhabit very different seas from those
fair creatures with loose-flowing, amber-colored tresses, azure eyes,
and voice of enchanting melody, who figure so attractively in the
ancient poesy. Nor may they be compared with the merman and
mermaids of the Gothic fancy, the medieval successors of the ancient
tritons and sirens."
" At night I would wander away, away ;
I would fllLig on each side my low flowing locks,
And lightly vault from the thtone and play
With the mermen in and out of the rocks ;
We would run to and fro, and hide and seek,
On the broad sea-wolds in the crimson shells,
Whose silvery spikes are nearest the sea."
These lines of Tennyson are decidedly poetic, but if we use them
to describe the dugong, the comparison destroys all the romance and
very beauty of the verse.
THE CORYPHENE.
Partaking of the same nature as the dolphin, with which it is fre-
quently confounded, is the Coryphene, a somewhat larger fish and
also more beautiful ; in fact, our description of the changing colois
and magnificent splendor of the dolphin, applies more appropriately
to the coryphene. The porpoise is also quite frequently mistaken for
the dolphm, owing to the fact that their gamboling movements in the
water are almost identical. One particular difference between the
two is found in the fact that while the dolphin is purely carnivorous
and, we may say, cleanly in its habits, the porpoise is something of a
scavenger, and roots in the mud like a hog, feeding at times on
worms, snails and burrowing molluscs, though it also commits great
ravages among the fish. They are very sociable and are the most
familiar objects one beholds at sea. During a stay of some weeks
-s— &»£« .- * «»» ^.^ ................ ^ . .3«.-7...' .....T^'ftcs T7t*-'Rv TTrV«"vi:r Sit tfc *-'tt«
out on the Gulf of Mexico ; on each trip I met great schools of por-
poises and amused myself with the somewhat cruel sport of lying in
mtstebies of the deep sea.
287
the prow of the boat and shooting the animals as they rolled by within
a few feet of me. But in every instance where I succeeded in^T tin"
one -I used only a small pis^^l- the creature vould give voice to f
Kind of grunt and immediately the herd would cease rising and not
another would be seen until a new school appeared. The grunt wa
evidently a note of warning. ®
The manatus dugong and lamantin are all herbivorous and their flesh
excellent food, not inferior to beef or veal. In the Malay Archt
IS
THE MANATCS AT HOME.
pAgo the dugong principally abounds, and on account of tile affec
"tlM TtZ "r '"' "' ^"""8. it is there caUed I
mean, of her fl.ppera ,n the most loving way. When attacked .h.
-arm their hahits though ota^d ^:S:'^Z:2^
238
BBA AND LAND.
the lamantins being peculiar to the South American coast, the mana-
tees to Africa, and the dugong to the Malay coasts. The stellar,
found chiefly in the Kamtschatka seas, also resembles the dugong, but
it is comparatively unknown. It is also called sea-calf, sea-cow and
sea-bull, and its flesh is highly esteemed by the Kamtschatdaler.s,
while its hide is employed for many useful purposes.
CHAPTER XVT.
MARINE MEN.
~^ROM a brief notice of those marine mammalia about which
cluster so many wondrous stories, connecting them with tlic
human race, we turn to a consideration of what Maiigin felic-
'M^ itously terms marine men, though they are known poi)ularIv
by the name seal, and scientifically under the classification Phocce.
Though we cannot truthfully picture the seal as a man winding his
horn as he rushes through the water on a shell for a carriage, aiKftloI-
phins for locomotion; nor as a bewitching siren chanting Orphic
hymns, or combing sea- weeds out of Ler tangle 1 tresses, whiio men
looked on and died of love's raptures ; but we inuy describe the species
as a type of rare development, the amphibious carnivora of the deep,
with frequent expression of countenance very like, and intelligence
more strikingly, human. Writers on natural history have not failed
to point out that the seal, like the dolphin and dugong, gave rise of
old, and in the middle ages, to those fables which represented certain
regions as inhabited by fantastic creatures, half human, half fish, or
haunted by the shades of shipwrecked mariner,?. The fact is, that the
belief in marine men and women, a belief the origin of which is lost in
the night of time, has been maintained down to our own days ; this
not only among ignorant and superstitious fishermen, but even among
very enlightened persons, whom a keen fancy for the marvelous has
induced to incline a willing ear to the fables related on this subject,
just as others have accredited the stories told in reference to the sea-
serpent; but I shall have occasion to speak more specifically on this
=^«j^^« .^v...,Txt,'i,r iTuSti i uumc i,\i iciate luv supersciuons oi the sea.
OATOHINQ A MONK AT 8EA.
As an evidence of the imagination, superstition and ignorance of
the people of the sixteenth century, wbc^e knowledge of natural his-
MTSIEBIES OF THE DEEP SEA. }M
lory must have been unaccountably limited, Eondelet, . writer of that
penod says : '• In our time there has been caught in Norway'^tlr I
.sreat tempest. a„ ocean monster, to »hich all who saw itincontinrntly
! with a"hT: ' f "'•'u""" " '""' " '"'"''""■=<'• -'ticandung^c!
ful, with a bald shmmg head, on whose shoulders, like a monk's
hood, were two wmgets instead of arms; the extremity of the body
teimmatcd in a broad tail. The drawing from which Ihave taken the
present descr,pt,o„ was given me by the very illustrious lady. Mar!
jaret of Valo.s, Queen of Navarre, and she received it from a geX
THE BEAUTIFUL CRESTED SEAL.
SMi„"''Th''rT'' ' ''"■""' "-^ *""" ^■"""""^ «""'»» V. then of
bpaui. The gentleman asserted that he had seen the monster iust as
.^portra trepresented it, i„ Norway, cast on the so"; Cod
"daguauonof thesca, at a place named Diezes, near the town „f
Donelopock. I have seen „ similar drawin^in Rom. -.ill °T" --
-pect from mine. Among the marine beasts, Pliny ni;k;sle:ti:n
.efers to the tnton. I have seen the portrait of another madue
#
240
8EA AND LAND.
monster at Borne, whither it had been sent, accompanied by letters
assertiufr, us an indubitable fact, that such a monster, habited like a
bishop, as in the portrait, had been found in Poland in the year 1331
and conveyed to the king of that couaty, making certain signs indica-
tive of its great longing to return to the sea ; and being carried thither,
it immediately flung itself into the waves."
Even the smallest school-boy of our day could have told Rondelet
that the animal which he thought so monstrous, was only a crested
seal, and yet so ignorant were the people of the time that, though
there were vessels crossing every sea and there was every opportunity
of seeing all the different species of seals, this writer leaves us to
understand that there was no man wise enough at the courts of Na-
varre or Spain, or among the ecclesiastical pundits of Rome, to know
one of the most common of animals when they saw it.
A 8TRAN0E VARIETY AND DOMESTIC CHARACTER OF SEALS.
The Phoc8B family is divided into several species, presenting the
most remarkable differences, which will be seen hereafter. Amon^
the important species are the common seal, crested seal, sea-lion or
bearded seal, marbled or leopard seal, trumpet or elephant-seal, the
otary and walrus. They are famili rly called by sailors, sea-calf,
sea-cow, sea-dog, sea-horse and sea-lion, being general applications
without regard to species.
The entire seal family is very closely allied to our domestic ani-
mals in the development of their instincts and intelligence, and under
domestication manifest the most gentle and sociable disposition. Dr.
Chenu, an excellent authority, says :
♦♦ Seals live in great herds in all parts of the globe ; yet it appears
that most of their species vary, according as they belong to the waters
of one or the other pole ; fo- it is remarkable that they prefer cold
or temperate countries to the warm climates of the Torrid Zone. It
is in general among the rocks and reefs which fringe every sea, and
even among the Polar ices, that we must seek for the larger species.
They an skillful swimmers, though in this respect are surpassed by the
cetaceans. It is a curious, but seemingly indisputable fact, that these
animals, when they put to sea, ballast themselves, as is done with a
ship, by swallowing a certain quantity of pebbles, which they dis-
char0"e on rfitiinnnor tn fho sViova firt»n/» »i.ofnT> o...><t.r ^^a «u_u„_„j
beeches; others, rocks exposed to the action of the waters; others
love to hide among the thick, tufted herbage which flourishes on tho
MYSTERIES Or THE DEEP SEA.
m
Plung, into th/wtrto Zou i.e uS^^T ,T' ""•i""'"^
will never e.t „„ d,-, ground unLfll ^ed .I'TC th'"
«rl,ert youth, or constrained by e^essive hunger i„ JsTl /
freedom and m the sea, the seal spends nearly thl, wh 1 ^ •
raing and huntiiie for its nr.„ u- u . "^ *"« wno'e day swim-
molLsanderuIoerns^ "^ '^' '"°'' """""'"^ ""-'''^ <" «»>■.
f«.e of the wLr in colan'v r""" " """ ^^'"^ "'"'o •" "■« »--
birds skimmed the Ue7and ml'dT"^, """"" •"' «""'• '^'^
«.tch the dei^of the fish whtrtht. ,':? ^"^ T" "'"' »''""'»' '»
rising his head from thl wl ^It "d/^^^^^^^^^^
of the birds." ^t-eeaea each time m snapping one
MATERNAL LOVE AND SINGULAR HABITA «i. ,^
.":o?rr o:;rs::;urrt:t:t^ *t t ^ --
suckle them for twelve „r aft J„T T ""» """"■"■■d. Tbey
born; after which the moth!^!. t^! "i""' P'""* """"^ «">? «™
whe™ she teache them t7sw m ZZ t *."•"! °"'' *» *"" -"'
upon her back when they be»me «r^ f *'"*"'.''"''' ""''"8 ""=»
see them in their clum,veZrt '•'! ' '* " "^^'^ """^'"S ^
-ly gives birth t7r„;frn tloTaTim?'^'"""''- ^'""'
overly bu,-densome, and she soon gives tlem the '. ""T "" ""'
enables them to provide for themfZs T > "*""" "'"*"'
dowedwith much sentim«„, "'«'^«oivc8. Seals are naturally en-
..sisteach ottr, treCn" ca" .•'"•''''?t'"'' "^'^ """""""d »"<>
™? certainty in Ihe X"!;: nulr s^ hi d ' r'""^ "'"' ""^»"-
voice, a,.d when she calls, flv to heTsM tl '^ "^""^"^^ ■"'
Thuuderandli^htnin.. so ffr f ^ t^^'""' P^-nP* ohedience.
b.ve the very op^T^r^i ct I'T '"'™"'''""8 """ ^™'' 'o^""' to
«t exubemnce of spirit uln the 'T ""'^ "«*<'» "-o «"■"-
•he sea and avoid tC te-Slr i'!:'?:"!"" <".\''»™ '"ey leave
-...ess.p.di.or,rt;;^.:^':- XTre-ir.
242
with fa
unci un
buskiiu
and it i
a most
of life ;
the wat
prefers
from th
culty, I
with clu
'*The
a phocu
as fur as
to him.
and proti
favorite <
in a sEon
their doi
center, tl
force, wh
takes pla
lord of 1
stranger.
"But J
absolutely
families,
fifty paces
biyat mu
rock, a ca'
the origin
ever medd
On seve
Cisco, I ait
disport an(
as the "cli
intelligent
MYSTERIES OF THE DEEP SEA. £43
with fat from two to four iiiphp«i {« *i.: i
.."d „„.i„dv. a„d sleep ■ Zh a d X^unZ' "th -"^ ""^^
basking places arc the iie-goes „r .1™ wh. ^H^' ''™'''*''
a„<l it i» ho..e .l,at the hunters see^ he„ The I^Z^ :l"'T--
a most u..i)rolitabl3 means to «ffo.f h • «n'>"tiiJg of seals is
0. nfe „..e !he„ that iirZe iif ^^ rrLrr;!;;'^:":^'
the water eve.i with a musket ball in the head Thlh I !. 5 ^"
SQUATTER SOVEREIGNTY AMONG SEALS.
" Ihe corner or mossv rock " s-ivu .,« u i i
a phocu and his family is a euio '?d r, °''^ ''"' '"""'"•• " °" ''"'='>
as far as regards other Zd^ZtT , • ''°''°' *""""■*' "' P^P'^^
to him. AUhou/h I, tl^e I H " T'''' "'"'"' "■■« ^'™"g«'^
«..d protect and talit/de: IhTh '" '" """""•"' '"'"'"•
favorite element, chev rL»rH~.h ^ <'">«'•• ™«« "merged from their
in a., red do 1 'e^-^'o e„„:; ^ l°" '"^'^P-"™'— «" -
.heir domestic tra„;nTlitv If™!", th"' " "^'" '" '"'""'^ "P""
stranger. * eompulsor^ retreat of the indiscreet
ahl^; rZl'^Tdt:: ■*"""' '"n°' S-*--'entthan it
^»n. /that are^;li7L": Zr^riXr ort^^^^^^^
fifty paces. If compelled bv necessifv fi, ".,, ^*''^^*' "^ ^^'-tj or
the original partit"! ,td shnt serfTpT It ^T """««'"'"■"
ever meddling with individual: If'tothitfUii;."' " ' "'
A OrOANTIO LEAP AND TERR.BLE COMe.TS.
u» several occasions, dtirino' the visits t i
™co, I amused myself bv ^ll-Ht'^J. '.""'" """''' *" S»» Fran-
-,,ge„tereatu.X^:-r--J-
244
SKA AND LAND.
Senl-Rocks." I have neen hundreds of sonls in evpiy condition of
size, character and disponition, at one time on the three rocks which
rise up out of the ocean nearly one hundred feet, and have been de-
lightfully entertained by their variable moods and ludicrous actiorib.
trr-STEKIES 0' THE DEEP SEA. J45
On one occasion I remc.bcr Imving «ee„ „ „«!, evidently ,n imilalor
of Sara Patel,, einnb with no little exertion to the vo,y apex of the
loft,e»t of the thtee roek. .efened to, and raiding hi. h'X , , i™
penous lo,,k.at-me banner, he barked loudly, ™d then ,!„„,, hi
.elf ,nto the sea a sheer descent of one hundred feet. The objeT-t
of thj, queer unttc I could not understand, especially since there was
no collection taken up for his benefit, but must still suppos,. that he
was proraptod l.y a spirit of bravado to uttetnpt so remarkable e feat.
That seals are extremely sociable in their relations to each other is
beyond cont,ad,ctio„, but they are quick to resent an insult, a'nd
know well how to use the weapons nature has given then,, ihose
who dehght.n the barbaric sport of hghtin,.. n.fv, any clear day 0
summer or faU, witness the bieodiest of eo„,bals-on the seal-roeks
have watched with re„. u ,ible interest, such battle betwee,^ setu
as I never saw take pis „ „,„ou,; other anin.als , a fight between great
honsts hardly more te ri« , t!,a„ an engagement between large Teals
Th y advance w,th eyes ?..,hi„, .ire and heads reared to the ut.nost,
and cotning together, thej ,„rry each other like do^s with their pow!
erfu teeth, nor give the lightest blows « ,. h their flippers, givin. ioice
.1 the wh, e to a kind of growling bark, which seems to come' frl
the stomach, deep and awful. This applies more appropriately to the
sea-hons, the seal proper being a very n.uch smalle, anin.al, aud
much less disposed to angry disputations, and it is also more easily
While passing through the Baltic sea, on a voyage from Hull to
St. Petersburg, one beautiful day, my attention was attracted to sev-
eral objects m the water some distance ahead of our steamer. As we
rrfv -ri;";-^ "r '?"'^' "''''■« "^y^" "■"■ -tonishment at
what I venly bei.eved to be, at first, a party of n.en in bathin., so
far from shore that no land was visible. The idea that they were
seals d,d not occur to n,e, and the illusion was st perfect The
.eawas unruffled by a singi, wave, and the seals, perhaps a dozen
were n.ovmg sh.wly, their heads only above water" look',,.,, 't th *
dstanee I was from them, exactly like n,en. At the first sug.resti„„
seals I immediately saw my n.istake, but thjir resembfa^iee to
riof tZ "'".r^V"^' ''^*"."'>«" -« «■""» up within a hundred
._ _..., . ,.,„.„ ^^^i^-civcu ixiiw natuiuiiy tiie supersition of
mermen and mermaids originaUd. ^ ^ "*''' ""^
246
8EA AND LAND.
ADVENTURES IN HUNTING THE SEAL.
The marbled or crested seal, sometimes also called the Greenland
seal, and by the Esquimaux, "Neitsersoak," is the most valuable
animal the Arctic natives hunt ; its flesh affords them excellent food;
its fur provides them with the warmest of clothing, and is also used
to cover the little kayaks, or boats, which they dexterously use even
in tempestuous seas; of the stomach air-buoys are made, which the
Esquimau fastens to his lance to float it after it is struck into his
prey, and even the teeth are not valueless, for with them the Green-
lander heads his spears, and the females sometimes use them for dec-
orating their persons.
There are two methods employed by the natives of the fur north
in capturing the crested seal, both popular and yet so radically differ-
ent in the spirit and result, that it is to be wondered why one has not
long since superseded the other j they may be briefly described as
follows: I
Seals are in the habit of excavating considerable cavities in the
thick ice, and leaving a kind of shelf upon which to repose ; by mov-
ing their bodies, in some manner not yet explained, these excavations
are made quite round and smooth and are sometimes four and even
five feet above the surface of the water. Notwithstanding this slip-
pery doorway, the seal bobs up and climbs the walls without any
difficulty. Many of these seal-holes are covered with an incrustation
of snow, and this fact is a great aid to the hunter, who can approach
without detection, and taking up his position over the hole he waits
with unexampled patience the coming of his prey. A seal may leave
its hole and remain away for twelve hours or more at a time, but the
patient hunter knows it will return, and is contented to' cover up his
feet and legs and bundle himself for a twelve-hour wait. During all
this time he must remain perfectly quiet and hold his lance constaTitly
in position for a blow; the least noise will frighten the animal away,
for it is wary almost beyond belief. Its presence at the hole is
detected by a slight scratching noise, hearing which the hunter
drives his lance through the '^rust and into the seal, usually striking
its head.
The second mode, which seems to be altogether more superior to
the first, though 't is not more popular, is as follows: Proceeding
on the hunt with siedge and dogs, the Esquimau approaches the
baskingpgrounds with great circumspection, and the moment he comes
MrsiERies or thu beep sea.
U1
ra sight of seals, leaves his sledge and creeps along with the greatest
possible care toward his game, moving not only vefy slowly! Ct a
po.,fon as nearly prosf-ate as possible. The moment hfperce^es
the animal betray signs of suspicion he lies flat upon the ice until the
seal becomes quiet again and reposes itself. Thl man cannot there!
after crawl „s he did before, hut must imitate the actions of a sell
wh,ch the Greenlanders manage to do with wonderful fidelity i he turn
blesand shifts hnnself like a seal moving its position, but by each
movement he contmues to approach a little closer.or rather, between
he animal ^and its hole, from which it never strays far If the
, «„ er succeeds m cutting off the seal's retreat, his suLss is ceiW
for the poor ammal cannot make fast progress on the ice, nor has i
^ISr^Tr""' "'"* '° '!'™'' """ "^••-' fo "un'ter's c::bs
»NEODOTe8 OF THE SEAL'a MOAOITY.
Seals are persevering hunters of fish, and their depredations among
the salmon fisheries ai-e terrible. Not on are they the most expert
of swimmers and catch their prey in a fair chase, bnt they haunt tl"
fislnng-nets and sometimes devour nearly all the catch. These Jty
aminals have been known to remain by the fishing-nets an cnti e
season, rarely taking a fish outside the meshes, and al the conclns on
0 be season leave the locality with the business-like characteris ti«^
of tne fishermen themselves. ■ -iis
l.Z'f T' *'"";° '' *.™™"' "•^^'""" «mongthe inhabitants of the
Li coast respecting the seal, which constanUy haunts the same apo!
thr ugh a series of years. They think that the animal is supernat-
umlly protected from harm of any kind -that bullets will n.^ trill
um however well the gun be aimed ; that steel will not enter his body!
..wever keen the blade or strong the arm that wields it , and that t^e
hig army of nets are powerless to retain so puissant a being in the^r
»a„i old meshes. So after a while a seal, if it be onlv bold and w.^y
may ead a luxurious life at the fisherman's cost, for no one will veni
tare to attack an animal that has a charmed life
Fortunately for the seals in general, they are not often visited by
he wrath of those they rob, for there is a feeling prevajramonR
itr'„ ':l!^ ::!'".» r"^•T'"«' -'''"-"-P-t'-e slayer.'-S
^ " \""^ -vvcptaiiuo oevona liie iishermen, for no animal is
more remorselessly pursued than the seal, whose so t fur consZtes a
source of such infinite delight and envy among ladies.
248
6£A AND LAItD.
HOW SEALS ARE OAPTUREO.
The customary manner of taking the fur-bearing seal is for the
hunters to land quietly, cut off the seals from the water, and then
dispatch then with blows from a bludgeon across their nose When
driven to desperation they fight savagely but fruitlessly among expe-
rienced seal hunters. The animal has a very awkward and no less
sipgular habit when trying to effect its escape, of lying partially on its
side and scratching furiously with its fore paws, when, if rushed upon,
it tries to fling itself upon the intruder and bear him down. Should
the land upon which it is reposing be covered with pebbles, the hunter
had better keep well in front of the animal, for in its leaping, cater-
pillar motion, it flings the stones behind it with great violence, capa-
ble of doing serious injury to a man.
Much sea-craft is required for the chase of the seal, as well as con-
siderable knowledge of its habits. It is a remarkable fact, that if the
seal be disturbed while the tide is ebbing, it will always make its way
seaward, but if alarmed while the tide is flowing, it will direct its
course landward. The seal is also a good barometer, and by its
movements indicates to the practiced eye the forthcoming changes in
the weather. Whenever an old seal is seen rollinsrandtumblinffalonor
a bank, a storm of wind and rain is sure to ensue before many hours
are passed.
Nearly every species of seal is fond of musical sounds, and it has been
frequently known to follow boats in which musical instruments were
being played. Some persons have gone so far in their opinionsof the
seal's love for music as to seriously recommend that hunters employ
pipers to go with them and lure the animal, a8-<erting, at the same
time, that the bag-pipe is more seductive to seals than any other in-
strument. Those who throw out such suggestions are evidently
Highlanders, or else they wilfully design to traduce a helpless animal
against which they have no right to hold such malice.
The common seal is, as before stated, easily tamed, and quickly
becomes one of the most docile of creatures, exhibiting marked affec-
tion for its human fri* ads.and a loving and gentle disposition, equally
as great as the dog or cat. Many of these animals have been cap-
tured when young, and so thoroughly doniesticated that they regarded
themselves as members of the household, and would lie beside the
fireside with the easy indifference of a tabby. An interesting account
of the taming of a seal is given as follows :
MtSTERlES Of TflU DEEf guA.
249
A PET SEAu.
"When a boy I was presented by some fishermen with a young
seal, perhaps not more than a fortnight old. In a few wcelts it be-
ZnfZH^^^^^TV"-^ domesticated that it would follow me
.bout, eat from my hand, and showed unmistakable signs of reeo^ni-
ho„ and attachment whenever I approached. It was fond of w,.rm"th
.ad would he for hours at the kitchen fire, rising its head to look a
every newcomer, but never attempted to bite? and would nestle
n wind. ''' """ "■" """""^ ""''» '"•"••'"''^ '" *•»'''
■' Unfortunately, the winter after I obtained it, the weather was
«„usualy rough and stormy. Upon that wild coast boat,, could sel!
ta put to sea, and the supply of fish became scanty and precarious.
We were obliged to substitute milk in its place, of which the sel
c,,n8umed large quantities, and as the scarcitv of other f.od still eon-
tinned, .t was determined in a family council that it should be con-
signed to Its own element, to shift for itself. Accompanied by a
clergyman, who took great interest in my pet. I rowed out for a
ouple of m.les to ,e. , and dropped it quickly overboard. Very much
to our aston,shn,cnt however, we found that it was not easy to shake
„;, , ,T Trl'" ""^ " *"""" ""' *"^""' ■"'<"• «<■« boat, cry-
n,g so loudly all the t,me that it might easily have been heard a mL
away.and so p.t.fuUy that we were obliged to take it in again and
bra,g,t home, where, after this new proof of attachment, it lived""
clover for aevera months. It might still be in existence but for the
m,t,mely fute wh.ch most pets are doomed sooner or late • to expe!
mace, and to which this one was no exception " '^
VM Spores where a young seal was taken and tamed by a lady who
Ma great love for pets. It is told that the seal lived in the famH^
r many years, unt.l its familiarity became unpleasant, when, to get
d of It, a man was engaged to take it far out to sea with the hope
1,7 '!r "f" '" ''"'"'''" "■^"'='""= "hatwas thcfamil/!
in "'" « ""f '""" '"""■"'"S '^'"S P'»<=«"'"y •■cside the iire-
pta, havmg effected an entrance into the house through an open
::t:i.^T ,?™'i" -""•• <'"->« «"> -°ter season, the seal Z
rntrived J« ,T^ '"^''' ''"' ''"'^ '"-^ 'to'-y- but the poor seal
conhived to find its way through the driving waves and blinding snow
250
8EA AND LAND.
back to its beloved home. It searched in rain for some hole through
which to reach its sleeping place again, but finding none, it retunud
to the door, and there laid and cried, unheard by its mistress, until
the bitter cold froze out its affectionate life.
A FIGHT WITH A MOTHER SEAL.
A story is also told in the same work somewhat as follows : A
number ot men had gone in a boat to the Sound of Achil, and having
seen a seal and her young one reposing on the sand, had borrowed
an old musket and set off to attack them. They succeeded in se-
curing the cub before it could reach the sea, and tossed it into their
boat. The mother seal, however, inspired by maternal love, swum
after the boat that contained her offspring, and could not be deterred
from following the captors, in the hope of rescuing her child. The
men attempted several times to shoot the poor creature, but their
rusty weapon would not explode until it had been snapped a num-
ber of times ; the weapon was finally discharged, and the bullet
lodged in the creature's head. Life being apparently extinct, the
mother was lifted into the boat, but at this moment she recovered
from the stunning effects of the shot and made a furious attack upon
her enemies, floundering about so violently as to threaten to upset
the boat, and snapping savagely at the men. At such close quai-ters,
and several in the boat, the seal had a decided advantage, which she
was pressing, and would have no doubt killed one or more of hei as-
sailants had not aid from a neighboring boat reached them wheu
it did.
Tlie Harp or Atak-senI, so-called from the singular coloring of the
fur on its back, is most common along the Greenland coast, and on
account of the very rich oil it yields is regarded as being most valua-
ble, commercially, of all the species. Two harp-seals were placed
in the zoological garden of Paris, where they soon left off their shy-
ness and manifested the greatest docility, allowing even strangers to
caress them, and showing much pleasure at having their heads rubbed.
Two small dogs were put in the pen with them, and it was amusing
to see how grateful they were to have them for companions. The
seals were now large, and would brook no familiarities from other
members of the seal family that shared their quarter, ) t they im-
mediatelv formed an attachment for the doars reallv ^ uitiful to see.
The four slept together and ate from the same disLjs ; '^ Tact, it was
no uncommon thing to see one of the dogs seize a .d take from the
MYSIERIES OF THE DfiEP sea.
251
sea a piece of food already in its mouth. The dogs would perch
on their b.g fnends' backs aud baric at visitor., and often, in play-
fulness, would bite the seals ; but these familiarities were not resented,
and when the dogs made their way to another apartment, which they
were able to do, the seals would try their utmost to follow, and be-
tray great uneasiness until their little companions returned.
THE ORFAT SEA-HORSE.
What I have written concerning seals applies generally to the sev-
eral species, except my references to the domesticity of the animals
which has immediate reference to the common seals. The elephant'
seal ar^d the walrus, though belonging to the Phoc^ family are so
distinct in certain features and habits as entitles them to separate
mention. I might also explain that the sea-lionproper is far different
from the animal exhibited in menageries and zoological gardens as
such, as we shall hereafte: see, an'd I therefore prefer to treat them
separately.
Of all the Phocine family none present? so torrible and grotesque an
appearance as the gigantic Walrus, al.o Known under the nanies of
mor.e ana sea-horse. The most striking feature of thus great animal
18 its gnzzly head, bristling muzzle and immense canine teeth, which
are developed into mighty tusks, growing straight downward from
the upper jaw. These fearful weapons attain a length of two feet
and measure at the base as much as seven inches in circumference *
and sometimes weigh ten pounds. They are the tine.tquality of ivorv'
and constitute an article of considerable commercial value. By reason
of the enormous size of these teeth, which are deeply imbedded in the
upper jaw, the nose is ab rmally enlarged, imparting to the beast
much of its ferocious aspect .
"The Walrus," says Marmier, "is a shapeless, unwieldy beast,
roni twelve to fifteen feet long, and eight to ten in circumference,
ts thick hide IS covered with hair; under this skin stretches a thick
layer of fat, which protects the animal against the ngors of winter
Frequently the walrus., lie in great numbers -long the banks of ice
motionless and piled pell-mell one upon another. But one of them
during their repose, enacts the pr.it of sentinel ; at the sliahtest
appearance of danger it precipitates itself into the waves. AH tli
oUpfs immediately attempt to follow ; but in this critical moment tL^
owness of their movements sometimes produces the most grotesque
scenes. In the confused state in which they have been lying it is
.!!*;•:■
8BA AND LAND.
252
with difHciilty they diseng ige thctnseWeifl^^Hpi masses of heavy
flesh wit 'i enclose them on every sioMimjjj^Hbll awkwardly into
the wai. ;i' ; others crawl painfully along til^ ice. The weight of theit
bodies and th? enormous disproportion of their limbs rcudor jili hiove-
WALRUS, SEA -LION AND SEALS.
ments upon the ice ^-'tremely difficult for them. '•'■ it as soon as these
ungainly animals t ^ a the water, they resu their vigor, audif
attacked defenu themselves with astonishing : urage.
W .. imtsiiil-!!
MT8TEEIE8 OP THE DEEP SEA.
flA8
1^ .!
" At times they themselves begin to fight ; they dart upon the
fishermen's boats, seizing the gunvfalea with then long, hook-like
teeth, and draw them furiWusly toward them. At times the> glide
under the skiff and endeavor to capsize it. Their hardy, scal> skin
resists the blows of pike and spear, and it is neither without difficulty
nor danger that the poor fishermen escape from such formidable
adversaries. In these desperate combats the walruses are generally
led by a chief, who is easily recognized by his great size and impetuous
ardor. If the fishermen succeed in killing him, at that instant all
his comrades abandon the struggle, gather round him, support him,
by means of their teeth, on the surface of the water, aijd drag him id
all haste far from the attacking boats and out of peril.
DESPERATE BRAVERY OF THE WALRUS.
But the most impressive and dramatic scene is when the walruses
fight to secure their young. Generally they attempt to deposit them
on a bank of ice, in order that they themselves may be left to fight
more freely without injuring their young. If the mothers have not
sufficient time to place their offspring in a remote place of safety,
they take them under their paws, clasp them to their breast, and
throw themselves with desperate audacity against the fishermen's
boats. The young walruses exhibit a similar devotion and intrepidity
when their parents are in peril. They have been known, when placed
,9part in security, boldly to quit the asylum chosen for them by
anxious affection, and take their share in the struggle in which the
mother was engaged, to sustain her efforts and participate in her
dangers.
Captain Cook, who, by the way, was the first to give any correct
accnant of the habits of the walrus, which previous to his time was
regarded with no little superstition, thus describes an incident illus-
trative of the great affection which the walrus has for its young.
* * *« We hoisted out the boats and sent them in pursuit of
the sea-horses that surrounded us. Our people were more successful
than they had been before, returning with three large ones and a
young one. On the approach of our boats toward the ice, they took
all their cubs beneath their fins and endeavored to escape with them
nito the sea . Several , whose young ones were killed or wounded , and
were left "floating on the surface, rose again and carried them down,
just as our people were upon the point of taking tham into the boat, and
they might be traced bearing them a great distance through the water,
254
S£A AND LAND.
which was colored with their blood. We afterward observed them
bringing their youn«^ up at times above The surface, as if for air, and
again diving under it with a dreadful bellowing. The female in par-
ticular, whose young had been destroyed and taken into the boat,
became so enraged that she attacked the cutter and struck her teeth
through the bottom of it."
The walrus is not without curiosity, but it never becomes impru-
dently so. Sailors who hunt the animal for its oil and ivory, tell
wonderful stories of its remarkable sagacity. In approaching the
animal in a boat it will sometimes manifest great surprise aud gaze at
the crew with wondering eyes, but in such cases the mothers will keep
their young well in hand, so to speak, holding them carefully by their
flippers, and when they anticipate danger will push their offspring
under water, and hold it out of sight till their fears subside.
CUNNING OF THE POLAR -BEAR.
Aside from man the walrus has a dangerous enemy, and one, too,
that gives him fair battle with results that vary ; this bold desperado
is the Polar-Bear, whose existence is maintained in the frozen re2ion^.
where his life is almost a continual battle. Knowing his power, the
walrus regards the bear with great dread, so that in order to reach
his elephantine prey, bruin resorts to some very cunning schemes
one of which is told in the following language:
" One sunshiny day one of these animals, about ten feet in length,
rose in a pool of water not very far from us, and after looking round,
drew his greasy carcass upon the ice, where he rolled about for a
time, and at length laid himself down to sleep. A bear, which hud
probably been observing his movements, crawled carefully upon the
ice on the opposite side of the pool, and began to roll about also, hut
apparently more from design than amusement, as he progressively
lessened the distance between him and his prey. The walrus, sus<
picious of his advances, drew himself up preparatory to a precip-
itate retreat into the water, in case of a nearer acquaintance with his
playful but treacherous visitor. On this the bear became instantly
motionless as if in the act of sleep, but after a time began to lick
his paws and clean himeelf , encroaching occasionally a little more ou
his intended prey. But even this artifice did not succeed; the wary
walrus was far too cunning to allow himself to be entrapped, and
suddenly plunged into the pool, which the bear no sooner observed
than he threw off all disguise, rushed toward the spot, and fQUQ^?c|
MYSTERIES OF TttF DEEP SEA,
him In an instant into tlie water, where he was as much disappointed
in hib meal as v'e were of the pleasure of witnessing a very interest-
ing encounter."
FI0HT8 BETWBFN THE WALRUS AND THE POLAR- BEAR
Although the poiar-bear will attack the walrus with the view of
making a meal of him, such attacks develop into combats that are by
no means one-sided. The bear fights for food, while the walrus fights
for life, and a desperate engagement it invariably proves to be. The
tactics of the bear are to seize the walrus from behind and worry him
to exhaustion, but, though clumsy, the walrus usually manages to
keep its quarters well protected, until the bear becomes very much
enraged and rushes in to fight at close quarters ; it is now that the
combat becomes interesting, but terrible. As the bear leaps toward
the walrus, the latter tries to receive him on its two powerful teeth,
which U f requenUy accomplished ; but the b.ar is not easily killed!
and survives the most astonishing wounds; the bodies of the two are
8oon covered with blood,and they become so maddened that neither will
give up the contest until death ends the struggles of one. After kill-
ing a bear, the victorious walrus has been seen to drive its tusks into
the dead body, as if it could not satisfy its bitter revenge. When the
bear wins, he usually forthwith begins his feast, regardless of his
numerous and sometimes fatal wounds, and eats up to the very i,
meut that death claims him.
DREADFUL COMBAT WITH WALRUSES.
Owing to the difficulty of securing the body after the animal is shot,
mthe water, walrus hunters employ means to come up with their game
and knock it in the head, or harpoon it. The dangers encountered in
such sport are quite enough to deter any but those with stout
hearts, as will be seen by frequent instances where men have lost their
hves in pursuit of walruses, only one of which I have room her« to
lecord.
A large herd of walruses being discovered gamboling on an ice-floe,
two boats were dispatched from the ship to go after them ; each boat
contained six men armed with harpoons and clubs, but no guns, as
these weapons are not in favor with the hunters. After proceeding
yvitnm two bimdred yards of the herd, a single walrus came up within
a few feet of ^a bow of the advance boat, and offered such an ex-
cellent target, that a harpoon was thrown which struck it near the
shoulder and remained fast. The animal made a noise indicative of
-■*
266
I
greiit distr
tance iiwuj
took place
hundreds c
they all pi?;
bnnta C!
se
became muc
their course
all battles b(
Hi
MYSTERIES ( THE DEEP SEA.
257
great distress, and dived to a rons; lerable depth , reappearing some dis-
tance away in company with three others. A singular thing now
took place; there was aijparentiy a council of war hastily held by the
hundreds of walruses that were on tire ice-floe, and in a few moments
they all phinged into the water and made ail possible speed for the
ESQUIMAU WALRUS HUNTER,
--^— oetii.i; ^11 auvaiiuujg liwst lii sucr; poweiTUi creatures, the luen
became much alarmed, and would fain have put back forthe ship, but
their course was speedily intrrcepted, and one of the most terrible of
all battles began. Th wairm?^^ threw theroseJve* witli unexampled
I7i . ^
258
SEA AND LAND.
fury on the boats and received the blows that were showered ou them
without quailing for an instant. Every man felt that hia life de-
pendod upon his ability to beat back an enemy far more powerful than
he, under the circumstances against which he was contending. As the
animals that attacked the boat were struck back by telling blows from
the men, others would fairly climb over the sinking bodies, their gap-
ing mouths, fiery eyes, dreadful tusks, ponderous bulks, and horrify-
ing growls, inspiring ■' 'error greater than words can express. The
contest could not continue long, as the number of walruses eonfeiantly
increased and a casualty to the boats was certain soon to occur, from
some of the strokes made against them by the vicious and fury-driven
animals. The men fought as never men fought before, plying their
heavy cudgels with great effectiveness, but apparently in no wise
diminishing the army that hud attacked them.
That portion of the crew remaining with the ship saw the peril oj
their companions and quickly made ready two more boats, while the
ship herself was moved up, so that from her decks the fight, whiili
was now defensive, might be waged in greater safety. Before the
other boats came up, however, a dreadful event had happened: the
gunwale of one of the boats had been torn off and the water poured
in so that it soon filled, and the poor unfortunate occupants were at
the mercy of their tormentors. It was the work of a moment for
the numberless walruses to fall upon the men and fairly rend them to
j)iece8*, like so many wolves set upon a stricken deer. Their furv
was 80 fiojMJentrated upon the men in the water that they left the
other boat and thus permitted it to row away, and the men in it were
^aved, but at the expense of their ^comrades' lives.
This painfully thrilling event occurred off the .coast of Oreenland in
1856, since which time there has been much greater caution used by
walrus hunters, and such a serious casml,ty has ^lot been pepeated to
pay knowledge.
The jusuajl mode of huntjng ^b^ walrus now is with dogs, which are
(trained to attack them oy ,the ice, and so disperse the herd that they
cannot niuke a simultaaeows charge upon the hunters. Such a chase
is called a " cut»" which is sometimes so successful that fifteen hun-
{flred or two thousand are killeijl out of a single her^.
THfi 8eA-eL£PWANT~A VERITABLE MONSTCfi.
Though pot exactly a prototype of the Jand-ejeph^nt, the Seu-
;:joph^ut 19 w,eW ww»e4 Mu4 }B » likel^r first-wusip o^ the jgf^te^ 9f
MVSTEBIEB Or TH« DEEP 8EA,
259
Und quadrupeds. Large specimenB of this monstrous seal measure
as much as thirty feet in lengtl^ and eighteen feet in circumference,
H prodigy much larger than the mightiest Jumbo, or the Mastodon
of Petersburg.
The sea-elephant is an inhabitant of the southern hemisphere,
where it is found over a wide range, and is extensively hunted on
account of the vast amount of oil which its body yields. This ani-
mal not only resembles the land-elephant by its snout, which bears
8ome analogy to the proboscis of the elephant, and from which it
takes its name, but in habit there is also a marked similarity. Unlike
all other members of the seal family, the sea-elephant is not confined
to the sea, but is particularly fond of fresh water lakea and swampy
THE MONSTER SEA - ELEPHANT.
places, where it feeds on both fish and regetables, though generally
«p«akang, 5t is a carnivorous animal.
About June the females bear their young, during which time they
Mire inland and remain to nurse their offspring for two months. It
is stated by naturalists as a fact that the males form a cordon about
the females and compel them to care for the young, which they would
otherwise desert, a statement which I can scarcely reconcile with
female nature.
The sea-elephant is a polygamous animal, and takes his consorts by
conquest. The season of courtship begins immediately after the
young are brought to the ae&, usually ftboul %wq mowtfes after birth,
,.l!i
260
SEA AND LAND.
and is a period of battle in which the males all participate until thci ^
is a settlement of the question as tap;,which are strongest and which
'veakest. The former then proceed to select their several wives from
the females that have been watching the fight ; after the victors coin
elude their selections the vanquished are allowed to select from those
" left over." The sea-elephant is a very tyrant over his harem ; he
has the virtue which many husbands luck ; he will not obtrude upon
another's family nor will he abandon his females in the hour of great-
est danger. Knowing this fact, the seal hunters always direct their
attacks against the females, being sure to capture the nuile afterward.
If they were to kill the male first his harem would disperse like in-
constant creatures detected in their guilt, or like bond-women to whom
the door of freedom was accidentally opened.
Although these animals are of great dimensions and bodily strength,
and are furnished with a very formidable set of teeth, they are not
nearly such dangerous antagonists as the walrus. When roused from
sleep they open their mouths in a threatening manner, but more for
the purpose of frightening than attacking their enemies, for if the
latter do not flee, the animal, more accommodating, will flee itself.
CURIOSITIES OF THE SEA- ELEPHANT.
Wood says: ** The extraordinary development of the nose, which
gives so wend-like a character to the aspect of the elephant-seal, is
only found in the adult males, and even in them is not very percepti-
ble unless the animal is alarmed or excited. While the creature is
undisturbed, the nose only looks peculiarly large and heavy ; as soon,
however, as the animal becomes excited, it protrudes this proboscis-
like nose, blov-3 through it with great violence, and assumes a very
formidable appearance. The female is entirely destitute of this struc-
ture, and except for its enormous dimensions might be mistaken for
an ordinary seal. In the male it does not appear until the third year.
**The elephant-seal is easily tamed when taken young, and disphiys
great affection toward a kind master. One of these animals was
tamed by an English seaman, and would permit its master to mount
upon its back, or to put his hand into its mouth without doing him
any injury."
The trumpet-seal is also provided with a proboscis which is more
elephantine than that of the elephant-seal itself. It derives its name
from the trumpet-like sound of its voice, which is very sonorous and
deep, and in the mating season ma^ be he^^rd for ^ distance of two
wileSf
MYSTERIES OF THE DEEP SEA.
261
THE SEA-BEAR.
The Ursine Seal, or Sea-Beai-, is the most valuable, commercially,
of thephocine fiimilj, and, strange enough, it is also the most numer-
ous. In size it is not nearly so great as other species, but the limbs
are much better developed and it can travel faster. It takes its name
from a fancied resemblance to the bear, but the likeness is not
noticeable to an ordinary observer. The color of its fur is very
pleasing, the I(»ng| hairs being of a grayish-brown, while the thick,
soft wool which lies next to the skin is a reddish-brown. When the
skin is dressed the long hairs are removed and the wool only left,
which constitutes the seal-skin of commerce.
THE TRUMPET- SEAL.
The sea-bear is a native of the cold regions, being found in greatest
numbers qn the coast of Kamtschatka and the Kurile Islands, where
they congregate in such vast herds during summer as to fairly blacken
th« banks which thev haunt. TJUo nfhoro nf fV»« -fixniiir +»,« o^.. u^....
IS polygamous and a squatter sovereign, choosing his domain and suf-
fering no encroachments thereon. As the number of females playing
the part of consorts to the male is from forty to fifty, on an average,
262
8EA AND LAND.
and the offspring of such family is usually mr^fe than one hundred, ft
will be seen that their reproduction is very rapid, partisilly justifying
the great slaughter which is practiced by seal companies every year.
CHAPTER XVII.
THE MIGHTY POLAR-BEAR.
HAVE prefsired to include a desciiption of the Polar, oi
Greenland iitar, in the first department of this book, because
he is a sea-animal to the extent of livino; m the ocean a great
^'M^ portion of his life, and finding nearly all his subsistence by
fishing. His natural home seems to 'be the ioe, and his delight is
greatest when surveying the landscape of driving floes, watching for
his favorite prey, the seal. Three and even four hundred miles from
the nearest land, he may frequently be seen riding on fields of ice,
careless of threatening storms or approaching ice-bergs, that any
minute may destroy his footing and leave him floundering in the sea ;
for he is almost equally at home in the water. Not only can the
polar-bear swim without fatigue, but he can dart through the water
and dive so deep, swiftly and unerring, that he is as perfect in fishing
as the otter, and if left miles from land in the ocean, he could still
find food abundant.
Nature has singularly endowed the polar-bear, making it one of the
most remarkable of animals. In size it surpasses all others of the ursine
family, possibly excepting the grizzly, while in activity its superi-
ority must be acknowledged. Cast by nature in a rigorous dibtrict
of the world, where the food supply must, from the very nature of
things, at times become precarious, this animal has been given the
power to subsist upon its own fat to a much greater extent than is
seen in other hibernating animals. Sometimes raging storms sweep
along the ice-ribbed shores for weeks, during which time the seal*
remain close within their caves, and the fish seek the quiet of great
depths. Cut off from his supply of food, the polar-bear loses his
appetite, as it were, nnd fasts without inconvenience until such time
as his accustomed prey is again obtainable.
Of the habits of the polar-bear, Scoresby, the extinguished whaler
•nd explorer, says ;
MYSTERIES OP THK DEKP SEA.
#
263
"This formidable animal is, among quadrupeds, the sovereign of
the Arctic countries. He is powerful and courageous ; savage and
sagacious ; apparently clumsy, and yet not inactive. His senses are
THE POLAR -BEAR IN HIS CHOSEN HAUNTS.
extreme!}/ acute, especially his sight and smell. As he traverses ex-
tensive fields of ice, he mounts the hummocks and looks around for
prey; or, rearing his head and snuffing the breeze, he perceives the
^■■M
;!(!
< 'I
II
if
ii!
2(^4
dfiA AND tAKO.
scent of the carrion of the whale at an immense distance. A piece
of kreng — fleshy part of the whale after the blubber is removed —
thrown into the fire will draw him to a ship from the distance of
miles. The kreng of the whale, however offensive to a human nose,
is to him a banquet. Seals seem to be his most usual food; yet
from the extreme watchfulness of these creatures he is often, it is
believed, kept fasting for weeks tr»gether. He ^eems to be equally at
home on the ice as on the land. He is found on field-ice over two hun-
dred miles from the shore. He can svim with the velocity of three
miles an hour, and can accomplish some leagues without much incon-
venience. He dives to a considerable distance when in pursuit of his
prey, but only when forced to. I^ear the east coast of Greenland
they have been seen on the ice in such vast numbers as to appear like
a large flock of sheep.
The extraordinary power of the pMar-bear ipay be estimated by
considering the following facts: The uisual size of this animal ia
eight feet in lengtli and nearly as much in circumference, while its
height is from four to five feet, but Barents, in 1596 — a long while
ago— r killed two bears, one of which measured twelve and the other
thirteen feet in length, and their weight was nearly a ton each. Bears
are not nearly so large now as they were three hundred years ago,
judging by the size of those which Barentz killed, but they are still
large enough to do infinite mischief. Those which
measure eight
feet in length have a paw seven inches broad, with claws two inches
long, while their canine teeth, exclusive of the portion embedded in
the jaw, are about an inch and a half in length. Having an amazing
strength of jaw, they have been known to bite a lance in two, though
made of iron, half an inch in diameter, or at least this fact is asoerted
by Scoresby.
DANDERS OF ATTACKINQ A POLAR -BEAR
The polar-bear may be captured in the water without subjecting
cme's self to great danger; but on the ice he has such powers of
resistance that the experiment is extremely hazardous. Wlien pur-
sued and attacked he will invariably turn upon his enemies ; and if
struck with a lance he is apt to seiz^ it in his mouth, and either brte
it hi two or wrest it from the hand. If shot with a ball, unless he is
strucic in the head or heart, or in the shoulder, he is enraged rather
than depressed, and fulls with incieased fury upon his pursuerr.
When shot at a distance, und able to escape, he has been observed lo
•4 ;c5- "
MtsTERifis Of Tttfi DEEi. gRA.
m
retire to the shelter of an ice hummock, and, as if conscious of the
styptical effect of cold, apply snow to the wound with his paw«
A curious fact concerning the bear is the palatableness of all its
flesh, while the liver, usually a dainty morsel in other animals, is so
deletenous that many sailors have died from the effects of eating it
while others have suffered the loss of the outer cuticle, which peels
off as if blistered.
Scoresby relates severs! anecdotes of the polar-bear, some of which
are worthy of transcription to these pages.
INTELLIGENCE OF THE POLAR -BEAR.
-The captain of one of the whalers being anxious, to procures
bear without wounding the skin, made trial of the strataaem of lav-
ing the noose of a rope in the sm.w, and placing a piece of kren-
withm It. A bear ranging the neighboring ice was soon enticed to
the spot by the smell of burning meat He perceived the bait ap-
proached and seized it in his mouth ; but his foot, at the same moment
by a ,ierk of the rope, became entangled in the noose ; he pushed it off
with the other paw, and deliberately retired. After havincr eaten the
piece he carried away with him, he returned. The noose, 1th another
piece of kreng, being then replaced, he pushed the rope aside and
again walked triumphantly off with the bait. A third time the noose
was laid ; but excited to caution by theevid-ntobservafonof the bear
the sailors buried the rope beneath the snow, and laid the krena i„ J
deep hole dug in the center. The bear once more approached" and
he sa.lors were assured of their success. But bruin, more sagacious
than they expected, after snuffing about the place for n few moments
scraped the snow away with hi. paw, threw the rope aside, and ac^ain
escaped unhurt with his prize. °
"lathe month of June, 1812, a female bear, with two cubs, ap-
proached the ship I commanded, and was shot. The cubs, not
attempting to escape, were taken alive. These animals, though at
first evidently very unhappy, became at length, in some measure,
reconciled to their situation, and. being tolerable tame, were allowed
occasumally to go .t large about the deck. While the ship was
moored to a floe. . :,cvv days after they were taken, one of them,
having a rope fa: terod round its neck, was thrown nv«.K»n..i rl
«.ately swar. ^^ the ice, got upon it, and attempted to esciape.
F nding itse f . however, detained by the rope, it endeavored to d^s-
engage liseU m the following ingenious way ; Near the ,^ge of the
266
SEA AND LAND.
floe wa8 a crack in the ice, of a considerable length, but only eigh-
teen indaes or two feet wide, and three or four feet deep. To this spot
the bear repaired ; and when on crossing the chasm, the bight of the
rope fell into it, he placed himself across the opening; then,
suspending himself by his hind feet, with a leg on each side, he
dropped his head and most of his body, into the chasm, and with a
foot applied to each side of the neck, attempted for some moments
A HUNTER MANGLKD BY A POLAR -BEAR.
to push the rope over his head. Finding this scheme ineffectual, he
removed to the main ice, and running with great impetuosity from
the ship, gave a remarkable pull on the rope ; then going backward
- < ««.„«a v,«^«.-.o.,fo/i fVio I'pik At. Ifino-th. after reoeated attempts
to escape this way, every failure of which he announced by a signili-
cant growl, he yielded himself to his hard necessity, and lay down
on the ice in angry and suUeu silence,"
MYSTERIES OF THE DEEP SEA.
267
MANGLED BY A POLAR • BEAR.
Continuing his remarks on the sagacity and ferocity of the polar-
bear, Scoresby relates the following :
'♦ Two of the crew of a vessel which had anchored near Nova Zam-
bia, landed un an island at the mouth of the WeigatB, and impelled
by curiosity, wandered some distance from the beach ; but while
unconscious of danger, one of them was suddenly seized on the back
by a bear, and brought to the earth. His companion ran o£E and gave
the alarm, and a party of shipmates came to his assistance. The
bear stood over its jyey during their approach, without the least ap-
pearance of fear ; and on their attack, sprung upon one of their
number, and made him also a victim to its ferocity and power. The
rest now fled in confusion, andr could not be induced to renew the
conflict. Three sailors only among the crew had sufficient courage to
combat with this formidable animal ; they attacked it, and after a
dangerous struggle, killed it, and rescued the mangled bodies of their
two unfortunate shipmates."
BATTLES WITH THE POLAR • BEAR.
Captain Cook, of the Archangely landed on the coast of Spitzber-
gen, accompanied by his surgeon and mate. While traversing the
shores a bear suddenly sprang up from a hummock, where it was con-
cealed, and seized the captain between its powerful jaws. At this
juncture, when a moment of hesitation must prove fatal, with rare
presence of mind the captain shouted to his surgeon to fire, who, with
admirable resolution so speedily obeyed the order, that he shot the bear
through the brain before it had time to do the captain serious in-
jury.
Captain Hawkins met with a similar danger, from which he as
providentially escaped. Discovering a bear on a cake of ice, in Davis'
Strait, he took a boat and rowed out to it. Upon reaching the bear,
which appeared unconcerned for its safety, the captain struck his
lance twice into its breast, but instead of the wounds intimidating or
badly injuring the animal, they only served to enrage it, for in a trice
it seized the weapon, and jumping into the boat, bit the captain sav-
agely in the thigh, and then threw him over its head into the water.
S: 1 ...1-
iuUgii, tiic wear diu not
up
LUC
custom, but leaping into the water Itself, on the other side, made off
while the other men in the boat were giving their attention to the
rescue of their oapt>jin.
268
SEA AND LAND.
Captain Scoresby tells another curious story, illustrating the bear's
insensibility to danger, from which I condense : A boat's crew at-
tacked a bear in the Spitzbergen sea, with harpoons and lances, but
POLAR -BKAR AND WALRUS FIGHTING.
80 far from disabling the anlmril, it turned savagely upon its enemies
and continued to climb into the boat, whereupon the crew speedily be-
took themselves to the water, so that the tables w«ire completely
MYSTERIES OF THE DEEP S^A.
269
turned To keep fron, drowning the poor fellows clung to the rinas
of the boat, from which chilling position bruin did not attempt to
drive them, but contented itself with a seat in the stern of the boat
where ,t sat fairly laughing at its enemies' discomfiture. Another
boat crew at length ca ■... to the rescue of their. companions, and shot
the bear as it sat staring at them.
WONDERFUL MATERNAL LOVE MANIFESTED BY A BEAR
The female has her young in the month of March, and generally
brings forth two at a time, which are remarkably small. The attach
ment she has for her young inspires her with a courage well worthy
of admiration . The following occurrence was obseryed by the f ric^ate
on which the famous Nelson began his naval career. This fric^atewas
m the polar regions, in 1773. , At day-break, one morning, three
bears were seen from the top of the mast coming very quickly over
the ice toward the vessel. The men made out that it was a female
accompanied by two young bears almost as strong as their mother
All three ran to a stove, into which some remains of a porpoise had
been thrown ; they drew out the pieces of flesh which the fire had not
consumed The mother distributed the pieces, giying the larc^est
share to the young ones. The sailors seized this moment to fire at
the two young bears, who remained at the stoye, and also at the
mother, whom they wounded without killing. Her despair would
have touched the hardest heart. Without paying attention to her
own wounds, or to the blood she was shedding, she only attended to
her little ones ; she called them with sorrowful cries, put before them
her own share of food, and even broke it up for them. As they re-
mained motionless, her groans became still more melancholy She
tried to lift them up, and finding her efforts useless, she went away a
few steps and renewed her calls; then retur-'ng to the dead bodies,
she licked the wounds, and would notleaye them until conyjnced that
hfeAvasgone; then, with frightful bowlings toward the vessel, she
seemed to accuse the murderers, and they answered with another dis-
charge from their guns. Fatally wounded, the poor mother came to
die by her young ones, licking their wounds to the last.
270
SEA AND LAin>.
CHAPTER XVin.
THE NARWHAL AND THE CROCODILE.
IhE word Narwhal signifies in the Gothic, "beaked whale,"
which is not inappropriate, since it undoubtedly belongs to
the whale family. Sea Unicorn, by which it is known, is i
deserving title, given on account of the curious weapon of
ivory, which springs from the upper jaw and protrudes
directly forward a distance of eight or ten feet.
The male narwhal, in which alone this polished weapon appears,
uses it very dexterously, not only in charging his enemies, but also in
breaking holes through the ice where ^great force is required ; it is
also employed to dig in the mud and around the rocks, vheri the ani-
mal's food is chiefly found, such as squids, shrimps and niolluscw.
Some persons maintain that the tu. k is used to impale tish of consid-
erable size, but this statement is hardly probable, being baseu on pre-
sumption rather than ocular evidence.
A narwhal has been known to encounter a ship and drive its tooth-
spear through im heathing, and deepiy into the timbers, with all the
power of a s- '> (sh. Occasionally these tusks are developed iu
the female, Ivt i^ecimens of which were captured and their heads
still preserved, euch of which had two tusks more than seven feet in
length.
In former days an entire tusk of a narwhal was considered of ines-
timable value, for it was looked upon as the weapon of the veritable
unicorn, reft from his forehead in despite of his supernatural strength
and superhuman intellect. Setting aside the rarity of the thing, it
derived a practical value from its supposed capability of disarming
all poisons of their terrors, and of changing the deadliest draught
into a wholesome beverage. These pleasing superstitions are perpet-
uated on England's coat-of-arms, whereon is a figure representing a
horse with the unicorn's tusk growing out of his forehead.
The old superstition was that an antidotal potency was of vital con-
sequence to the unicorn, whose residence was in the desert, among all
kinds of loathsomu beasts and poisonous reptiles, whose touch was
death, and whose very look was contamination. The springs and
pools at which such monsters quenched their thirsty were saturated
niijii
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272
SEA AND LAND.
with poison by their contact, and would pour a fiery death through
the veins of any animal that partook of the same water. But the
WHALE ATTACKED BY A NARWHAL
unicorn, by dipping the tip of his horn in the water, neutralized the
ypoow and rendered the pool harmlesg. Thja admirable tjuality of
MYSTERItS OF THE DEEP SBA,
278
the unicorn was a great recommendation in dav«i whon f h« •
oh.Hce o.ept too fe^ueof, „pon .he feTtit'bol'd: tjn"
,hav,„gs of the u,>,co.n s horn „ere purchased at a high price and thl
ready sale for such antidotes led to considerable adierationlla f^!
which IS piteous^ recoMcd by an old writer, who tells us that "some
»,cfced persons do n,ake a mingle-mangle thereof, as I saw amonX
Venetians, bemg, as I here say, compounded with lime and s"an or
peradventure, with earth or some stone (which things are ap to mak '
bubbles arise) and afterward sell it for the unicorn's horn "The
same wnter however, kindly furnishes an easy test, whereby the
ge„u„,emay be distinguished from the counterfeit article. " F™!
n nee of the un.corn's horn, to know whether it be right or nTput
silk upon a burning coal, and upon the silk the aforesaW horn and if
so be that It be true, the silk will not be a whit consumed °
The narwha usually lives on terms of friendship with the Green
laad whale, but it not infrequently occurs that the former becoZ
angered at hie gicat fellow-cetacean, and dreadful combats ensueT
^een them An old whaler describes a fight which he once sa^
brtween a whale and a narwhal, as being the bloodiest and ZZ to
nble battle that he ever beheld, not excepting those whicrhe W
Zr-^flT "^TirT," T: T" '"■"^Srnmpns,and the what
ana sword-fish. The narwhal, though fairly a mite compared with
such a gigantic competitor, is extremely agile, and possesses a „T„
erful weapon that it uses with an effect ^ImLst as terr b el Z
z ifthiieL'r^?r f-'r^"'""'^' «™idi„g'"p'unisrm '
taself, while he thrusts his long, keen-poi.ted tusk into the whale's
S:j;rtretr"'''°"' °"^'""^" "■"" «-= ■"'^-'^ --^
. . "^"E MAIL-OLAD 0R000DILE8.
Ihe transition from seals to crocodiles is liardly violent and wh«»
we consider that both are carnivorous, and can live equa iV "„ o^out
of water, and that they both haunt the shore a greater portion of th«
^me we must regard the change as natural, if fot xacCccc^^^^
to natural history classification ^ according
vnlt> ''"r^'*'' .''''^"^ *^ ^'' ^'^^^^^^^ "^«' strength of muscle
voracity of appetito and terrible arm«fur*> n* ^^^^ ^ Ju " '^1^'
dread of the countries which he inhabiVo, rulVihe^nVe;:* ^L"!
sway as despotic as is exercised by the lion an^d fe^^^^^^^^
eagle in t.. air, or the sWk i, the aeas. TWe .re Z I Jd^lr
274
SEA AND LAND.
ent species, hardly more than three, in fact, that are distinct, viz.:
the Gangetic (Ganges), Egyptian, and American, the kilter bein^
improperly called Alligator. The Gangetic crocodile, or gavial. is
the largest and most curious of reptiles, frequently reaching a lentrth
of twenty-five feet, while the extraordinary projection of its muzzle
gives it a weird and grotesque appearance. It is confined to India,
where the Ganges River particularly swarms with them.
Since man worships force, the same disposition which prompts the
Africans of Guinea to sacrifice little girls to the shark, as already
related, influences the Indian mother to throw her child into the Gano-es.
the poor deluded woman believing that it will find the easiest road to
GiMnatvr
THE GAVIAL CROCODILE OF THE GANGES.
heaven through t'le stomach of a crocodile. A reference to such
atrocious practices is enough to cause us to shudder, but our thirst
for knowbdge compels us to acquaint ourselves with many revolting
facts.
SAORIFiOEe OF INFANTS TO CROOODItES.
In India, particularly before Great Britain began to exercise pway
in the country, and, we may say, the original practices still continue
about Rp.nares and other interior places, it was common to see a
mother bearing her child toward the Ganges, and with every demon-
stration of maternal love show how precious to her w^s the iMuden
>..< >
MY8TE5IE8 OF THE DEEP SEA
net, viz. :
ter being
gavial, is
g a length
ts muzzle
to India,
)inpt8 the
s already
e Ganges,
st road to
275
5 to such
)ur thirst
revolting
oise 8 way
continue
to see ft
y demon-
e b'udeji
she bore away for sacrifice ; the fond mother, believing she was pre-
paring rr flowery way to h.aven for her child, would pause upon the
nver s bank and cover it with i.assionate kisses, fondle it in a thou-
sand ways, as if deferring the dread act about to be committed, until
a fairly bursting heart was overcome by religious devotion, when she
would toss the innocent offspring to the cruel monsters that were
waiting for the sacrificial feast. Never more than a single cry would
fall upon her ears, for in an instant the little innocent would be torn
to a hundred pieces, and only a bloody dye on the surface remain to
show, for a few moments, where the tragedy occurred. Not only
have such tei.ble sacrifices been made in years long sijice passed, but
they are being made every day now, and are diminishing so slowly
through public opinion, that we cannot prophesy when the infamous
practice will cease.
BAKER'8 ADVENTURES WITH OEYLON ORO00DILE8
Sir Samuel Baker, aside from being one of the most distinguished
explorers that has ever penetrated the world's wilderness, was an
enthusiastic sportsman, fitted by all the qualifications that nature
could bestow for conspicuous success in the field of adventure But
besides his vigorous constitution, courageous spirit and Gpiendid
acquirements, he had a large fortune at his command, so that he was
thus in all things, provided to follow the bent of his inclination and
indulge every desire. He was an excellent linguist and profound
scholar, and as a chronicler of stirring incident he has no equal, if we
regard the interest excited in the masses. He wrote many books
descriptive of his adventi-ps in various lands, md in utilizing these,
w.nch are all filled with exciting escapades, I will have frequently to
quote from him.
Though Baker spent several years in Africa, seeking the source of
the Nile and in trying to suppress the slave-trade - the results of
which labors and all his adventures there being recorded in my pre-
vious work, entitled - Worid's Wonders" -he was, for a still longer
period, hunting and conducting business in Ceylon and India. In^an
admirable little book called - The Rifle and the Hound in Ceylon " •
he reports some thrilling incidents connected with his battles with
elephants and other wild animals, but he does not overlook the croco»
dile which in that countiy is as fierce in water as the tiger is on land.
Uf this animal he writes :
"Some of these vmi^ ( ?) grow to a very large size, attaining lUe
276
SEA AND LAND.
length of more than twenty feet and eight feet in girth, but the com-
mon size is fourteen feet. They move slowly upon the Uind, but are
wonderfully fast and active in the water. They commonly lie in wait
for their prey under some hollow bank in a deep pool, and when the
unsuspecting deer, or even buffalo, stoops his head to drink he is sud-
denly seized by the nose and dragged beneath the water. Here he is
speedily drowned and consumed at leisure.
'< It is a common opinion that the scales on the back of a crocodile
will turn a ball; this is a vulgar error. The scales are very tough
and hard, but a ball from a common fowling-piece will pass right
through the body. I have even seen a hunting-knife driven, at one
])lovv, deep into the hardest part of the back; and this was a croco-
dile of large size, about fourteen feet long, that I had shot at a place
called Bolgodde, twenty-two miles froip Colombo.
«* A m.Mi had been setting nets for fish, and was in the act of swim-
minor to the shore, when he was seized and drowned bv a crocodile.
l..e next morning two buffaloes were dragged into the water close to
the spot, and it was supposed that these murders were committed by
the same reptile. I was at Colombo at the time, and hearing of the
accident, I rode off to Bolgodde to try my hand at catching him.
Bolgodde was a very large lake, of many miles in circumference,
abounding with crocodiles, widgeon, teal and iucks.
" On arrival that evening, the headman pointed out the spot where
the man had been destroyed and where the buffaloes had been dragged
in by the crocodile. One buffalo had been entirely consumed, but tne
other had merely lost his head, and his carcass was floating, in a hot-
rible state of decomposition, near the bank. It was nearly dark, so 1
engaged a small canoe to be in readiness by break of day.
"Just as the light streaked the horizon I stepped into the canoe.
This required some caution, as it was the smallest thing that can be
conceived to support two men. It consisted of the hollow trunk ot a
tree, six feet in length and about one foot in diameter. A small out-
rigger prevented it from upsetting; but it was not an inch from the
water when I took my narrow seat, and the native in the stern pau-
dled carefully toward the carcass of the buffalo.
«*Upon approaching within a hundred yards of the floating carcass,
I counted five forms within a few feet of the flesh. These objects
were not over nine inches square and appeared like detached pieces
of rou^h bark. I knew them to be the foreheads of different croco-
MYSTERIES OP THE DEEf SEA. 377
dlles, and presently one moved toward the half devoured buffalo "
long head and shoulders projected from the water as he attempt'ed to
SCENB ON THE MARGIN OK BOLGODDE LAKE.
fix his fore-claws into the putrid flesh ; this, however, rolled over toward
mm, and thus prevented him from getting a Bold ; but the gaping
278
8EA AND LAND.
jaws, nevertheless, made a wide breach in the buffalo's flank. I was
now within thirty yards of them, and being observed, they all dived
to the bottom.
*« The carcass was lying within a few yards of the bank, where the
water was extremely deep and clear. Several large trees grew close
to the edge and formed a good hiding-place ; I therefore landed, and
sending the canoe to a distance, I watched the water.
DEATH OF THE MONSTER.
**I had not been five minutes in this position before I saw in the
water at my feet, in a deep hole close to the bank, the immense form
of a crocodile, as he was slowly rising from his hiding-place to the
surface. He appeared to be about eighteen feet long, and he pro-
jected his horny head from the water, bubbled, and then floated with
only his forehead and large eyes above the surface. He was a horri-
ble looking m meter, and from his size I hoped he was the villain that
had committed the late depredations. He was within three yards of
me; and although I stood upon the bank, his great round eyes gazed
at me without a symptom of fear. The next moment I put a two-
ounce ball exactly between them, and killed him stone-dead. Ho
gave a convulsive slap with his tail, which made the water foam, and
turning upon his back, he gradually sank, till at length I could only
distinguish the long line of his white belly twenty feet below me.
" Not having any apparatus for bringing him to the surface, I
again took to the canoe, as a light breeze that had sprung up was
moving the carcass of the buffalo away. This I slowly followed,
until it at length rested in a wide belt of mshes which grew upon the
shallows near the shore. I pushed the canoe into the rushes within
four yards of the carcass, keeping to windward to avoid the sicken-
ing smell.
"I had not been long in this position before the body suddenly rolled
over, as though attacked by something beneath the water, and the
next moment the tall reeds brushed against the sides of the canoe,
being violently agitated in a long line, evidently by a crocodile at the
bottom. The native in the stern grew as pale as a black can turn with
fright, and instantly began to paddle the canoe away. This, how-
ever, I soon replaced in its former position, and then took his paddle
away to prevent f ui-ther accidents. There sat the captain of the frag-
ile vessel in the most abject state of terror. We were close to the
shore, and the water was not more than three feet deep, and yet be
MYSTERIES OF THE DEEP SEA.
279
dared not jump out of the canoe, as the rushes were again brushing
against its sides, being moved by the hidden beast at the bottom.
There was no help for him, so, after vainly imploring me to shove
the canoe into deep water, he at length sat still.
"In a few moments the body of the buffalo again moved, and the
head and shoulders of a crocodile appeared above the water, and took
a bite of some pounds of flesh. I could not get a shot at the head
from his peculiar position, but I put a ball through his shoulders, and
immediately shoved the canoe astern. Had I not done this, we
should most likely have been upset, as the wounded brute began to
lash out with his tail in all directions, till he at length retired lo the
bottom among the rushes. Here I could easily track him, as he
slowly moved along, by the movement of the reeds. Giving the na-
tive the paddle, I now by threats induced him to keep the canoe over
the very spot where the rushes were moving, and we slowly followed
on the track, while I kept watch in the bow of the canoe with a rifle.
"Suddenly the movement in the rushes ceased, and the canoe
stopped accordingly. I leaned slightly over the side to look into the
water, when up came a large air-bubble, and directly afterward an
apparition in the shape of some fifteen pounds of putrid flesh. The
stench was frightful, but I knew my friend must be very bad down
there to disgorge so sweet a morsel. I therefore took the paddle and
poked for him; the water being shallow, I felt him immediately.
Again the rushes moved ; I felt the paddle twist as his scaly back
glided under it, and a pair of gaping jaws appeared above the water,
wide open and within two feet of the canoe. The next moment hia
head appeared, and the two-ounce ball shattered his brain. He sank
to the bottom, the rushes moved slightly and were then still.
"I now put the canoe ashore, and cutting a strong stick with a
crook at one end, I again put out for the spot and dragged for him.
He was quite dead; and, catching him under the fore-leg, T soon
brought him gently to the surface of the water. I now made fast a
line to his fore-leg, and we towed him to the village, the canoe being
level with the water's edge.
" His weight in the water was a mere trifle, but on arrival at the
village on the banks of the lake, the peoole turned onf. with *rrMof
glee, and fastened ropes to different parts of his body to drag him
out. This operation employed twenty men. The beast was fourteen
feet long; and bd was no sooner on siiore, than thtf natives cut iiim
SEA AND LAND.
to pieces with axes and threw the sections into the lake, to be de-
voured by his own species. This was a savage kind of revenge,
which appeared to afford them great satisfaction."
A WOMAN OARRIED OFF AND DEVOURED BY A OROCODILE.
*' I remember an accident," suys Baker, •« that occurred at Ma-
dampi, on the west coast of Ceylon, about seven years ago, the day
before I passed through the village. A number of women were em-
A WOMAN CARRIED OFF BY A CROCODILE.
ployed in cutting rushes for mat-making, and were mid-deep in the
water. The horny tail of a large crocodile was suddenly seen above
the water among the group of women, and in another instant one of
them was seized hy the thigh and dragged toward a deeper part of
the stream. In vain the terrified creature shrieked for assistance ; the
horror stricken gfoup had rushed to the shore, and a crowd of spec*
MYSTERIES OF
S
THE DEEP SEA.
281
»tatorfl on the bank offered the little help that was in their power,
which, however, was without avail. Three of the more daring natives
followed the monster and thrust their spears into him, but he never
relinquished his hold upon the victim. It was some distance before
the water deepened, and the unfortunate woman was dragged for
many yards, sometimes beneath the water, sometimes above the sur-
face, rending the air with her screams, until at length the deep water
hid her from their view. She was never again seen."
A SAFE PLAOE OF DEPOSIT.
There are many queer things and beliefs in India, some of which
tax our credulity, but yet we are prepared to hear much that is won-
derful respecting the practices of that country without stamping it
with improbability. People of India are not more honest, if they do
affect more religion, than citizens of other countries, but they have
some original ways of enforcing honesty hardly compatible with civ-
ilization. It is gravely assorted by travelers that the Government
sinking fund in India, instead of being kept in iron vaults, protected
by time locks and several walls, as in this country, is committed to a
hollow log, the ends of which are sealed up. A hollow log would
ordinarily prove a poor precaution against thieves, but as eve'ry man,
high and low, is alike suspected in India, the money is entrusted
to the keeping of no person. The log containing the treasure is
thrown into a large pool, wherein are kept a large number of croco-
diles, maintained at Government expense within the capitol walls. As
tiiese voracious creatures are forever hungry, and have such ferocious
dispositions that no amount of studied blandishments will curb their
appetite for human flesh, the sinking fund is not liable to any dis-
turbance. When, at length, it is desirable that the money be recov-
ered to meet the uses for which it was publicly in( i sed, a proclama-
tion to that effect is made, and the crocodiles of the pool are dragged
out and killed; a machine, made for the purpose, then grapples the
log and pulls it to the shore, where the seals are broken in the pres-
ence of certain functionaries.
THE EGYPTIAN MAN - EATING OROCODILE.
This terrible creature is found chiefly in the Nile, where it fairly
swarms, and though the most dreaded and destructive animal of all
Egypt, it has its uses ; living exclusively on animal flesh, which it
seizes with equal avidity whether fresh or putrid, it performs the
part of an indispensable scavenger, and prevents the waters from be-
■*<¥
282
SEA AND LAND.
coming putrid. The crocodile is a dangeiou: foo to cattle and other
beasts that come to th« river-brink for water. The creature lies like
a log upon the bank, watching for whatever prey may chance to
come near, and cattle do not usually detect its presence until a stroke
of its powerful tail knocks them into the water, where the unfortu-
nate animal is seized and quickly torn to pieces.
Many instances are known where men have been surprised near the
water's edge and captured by the monster. Mr. Petherick, a Briti>h
consul in Eg^-pt, relates an instance, where a man while drawing
water, was attacked by a crocodile, and having his escape cut off was
forced back into a recess behind the well-boxing. The crocodile fol-
lowed after, but its body was too large to pass through the space and
became wedged, with its gaping mouth scarcely one foot from the
horrified man. Being unable to get forward or retreat, the crocodile
fell a victim to several men who, hearing cries for assistance, ran to
the prisoner's relief and dispatched it with bludgeons and spears.
HOW THE OROOODILE 18 HUNTED.
As this reptile is so dangerous and costly a neighbor to the inllal)i^
tants of the river banks, many means have been adopted for its de-
struction. One such method, where a kind of harpoon is employed,
is described by Dr. Ruppell: " The most favorable season is either
the winter, when the animal usually sleeps on sand-banks, luxuriating^
in the rays of the sun, or the spring, after the pairing time, when the
female regularly watches the sand islands, where she has buried her
eggs. The natives find out the place, and on the south side of it, that
is to the leeward, dig a hole in the sand, throwing the earth to the
side which they expect the animal to take. Then they conceal them-
selves, and the crocodile comes to its accustomed spot and soon falls
asleep. The hunters then dart their harpoons with all their force
at the animal, for in order that the strokes may be successful, the
harpoon head ought to penetrate to the depth of at least four inches,
that the barb may be firmly fixed in the flesh. Upon being wounded
the crocodile rushes for the water, and the hunters retreat to their
canoes. A piece of wood, attached to the harpoon line, swims on the
water and indicates the direction in which the crocodile is moving.
The huntsmen, by pulling on the line, drag the beast to the surface of
the water where it is struck with other harpoons until destroyed.
♦• When the animal is struck, it by no means remains inactive, on
the contrary, it lashes with its tail and endeavors to bite the rope in
MY8TKRIE8 OF THE DEEI* SEA.
283
two; to prevent this the line is composed of thirty separate smull
lilies, not twisted together, but merely phieed in jiixtiipoHition, and
bound together at intervals of every two feet. The thin linos get be-
tween the teeth and become entangled about them."
SCENE ON THE UPPER NILE.
In spite of the great strength of the animal, two expert men can
drug it from the water, tie up its mouth, twist its legs over the back,
and kill it by driving a sharp steel spike into the spiral cord, Just at
the back of the skull.
,'. ' 'H
^,J,%Mi^^-
Mn-
S84
SKA AND LAND.
There are inany other modes of capturing and killing the crocodile,
such as a hook baited with meat, to which the voracious creatures are
attracted by the cries of a captive pig, and the yelping of a dog wil!
answer the same purpose. In some cases the negroes are bold enough
to engage the crocodile in his own element, and to attack hira with a
long knife, with which they rip up its belly.
The margined crocodile is distinguishable from its Nile neighbor by
the great concavity of its forehead and the strong keejs of its back-
plates. It is confined to the rivers of South Africa, and in boldness
and ferocity equals the Egyptian and Indian species. Captain Dray-
son, author of "Sporting Scenes Among the Kaffirs," tells the fol-
lowing story to illustrate the voracity of this creature:
MAN TORN BY A CROCODILE.
** About two or three miles from the Bay of Natal there is a river
called the Umganie ; into this river a lake called tiie Sea Cow empties
itself. The lake was, during my residence at Natal, the retreat of
several hippopotami and crocodiles, which were in the habit of treking
into the Umganie River. Often, when riding round the banks of this
lake, I have disturbed two or three crocodiles, which were stealing
among the reeds and long grass in hope of stalking a fat toad or a
sleeping guana. Sometimes a scaly reptile might be awakened from
his doze by the sound of my horse's feet, and would then rush throi'^h
the long reeds toward his retreat. Their movement is much more
rapid than one would suppose from their appearance, and they care
nothing for a fall, head over tail, but almost fling themselves down
the steep banks when alarmed.
**0q the banks of the Umganie were several Kaffir kraals, in one
of which resided a man who had been roughly treated by a crocodile.
This man, seeing me pass his residence, called to me and asked, as a
favor, that I would watch at a particular part of the river until 1
shot a rascally crocodile that had nearly killed him. The animal, he
informed me, always made its appearance about sundown, and he
hinted that a position might be selected so that the sun would dazzle
the crocodile and prevent him from seeing me. Finding that I was
willing to gratify his revenge, he limped out of the inclosure surround-
ing his huts, and offering me his snuff-gourd, at my request gave me
the following account of his escape : '
** He had so frequently crossed the stream below his huts, at all
times of day, and had seen crocodiles of small dimensions, that he
MYSTERIES OP THE DEEP SEA.
285
had become, as it were, familiarized to tliem, and did not imagine
that there was any danger to be expected from them. One evenin*',
at about sundown, he was wading across the river, the water of which
reached above his waist. Suddenly he felt himself seized by the
under side of his thigh, while he was at the same instant dragged
under the water. His wife was following him, and seeing him "fall,
she scrambled forward to the place where he had disappeared, and
thus caused considerable noise by splashing, which (or something
else, perhaps the toughness or bad flavor of the Kaffir) had the effect
of making the crocodile quit his hold, not, however, without tearin*^
off a great portion of the under part of his thigh. The man with
difficulty escaped to the shore, but he remained a cripple for life,
unable to do more than put the toes of his foot to the ground."
EXOITINQ ADVENTURES IN KILLING THE OROOODILE.
In some of the rivers of Africa the natives are bold enough, and,
indeed, skillful enough to combat with the crocodile i s own ele-
ment; and, armed only with a sharp dagger, dive beneath it and rip
the reptile open. It often happens, however, that the combat is fatal
to the man, and frequently his only chance of escape is to force his
dagger, or, if this be lost, his thumbs into the reptile's eyes with all
his might, so as to produce great pain and blindness.
Waterton's account of catching a cayman, as the crocodile is some-
times called, is amusing. The creature had swallowed a large hook
cast specially for it, and was being drawn toward the vessel, where
the naturalist was waiting with a great rod in his hand intending to
force Jt down the reptile's throat when occasion should offer. At
this point of the proceeding Waterton says: - By this time the cay-
man was within a few yards of me ; I saw he was in a state of great
fear and perturbation. I instantly dropped the rod, sprang up, and
jumped on his back, turning half round as I vaulted, so that I o-ained
my seat with my face in a right position. I immediately seized his
foie-Iegs, and by main force twisted them on his back ; thus they
served me for a bridle. He now seemed to have recovered from his
surprise, and probably fancying himself in hostile company, he began
to plunge furiously, and lashed the sand with his long and powerful
tell. I was out of the reach of the strokes of it by being near his
head He continued to strike, and made my seat very uncomfort-
able.
This feat of riding a crocodile, as performed by Waterton, was not
286
8EA AND LAND.
80 wonderful when we consider that several persons were drawing the
reptile by a rope, which prevented it effectually from doing the least
harm to the rider.
In South Africa a similar feat was performed still more recently.
A crocodile was shot at and wounded, but, though apparently not
much hurt, he rose at once out of the water and attempted to reach a
morass. At this juncture a native approached the reptile, and hefore
it could retreat he threw himself upon the creature's back, snatched
up its fore-paws in an instant and doubled them across its back. The
crocodile, deprived of any support in front, was thus thrown upon
his snout, and though able to move freely his hind feet and keep his
tail in motion, he could not budge half-a-yard, though he made the
most frantic exertions to move forward.' The native bravely kept his
seat and held the monster, which measured eighteen feet in length,
until another shot could be fired into the reptile's brain.
A DISTINGUISHED ENGLISHMAN DEVOURED BY A CROCODILE.
The Teoge, or Zouga, Kiver, in Southern Africa, is noted for the
gigantic and ferocious crocodiles that swarm its banks and waters.
Notwithstanding the well-known man-eating propensities of these
reptiles, hundreds of natives, living in the vicinity of the stream and
fishing ill its waters, fall victims every year to these voracious crea-
tures. But a particularly sad accident befell an English gentleman
named Kichardson, who, in company with another wealthy sportsman,
named Manning, were shooting in Southern Africa. The circum-
stances attending the horrible death of Richardson were related by
Mr. Manning, as follows :
While encamped on the Zouga, finding water-fowl somewhat scarce,
the unfortunate gentleman shot a museovy duck, which he was very
anxious to secure, but could not for want of a boat. While looking
for a canoe he observed a fine antelope approaching, and running
quickly toward the wagon, which was hard by, he called out to his
men to bring him a rifle. On his return to the river he found that
the antelope had escaped. He then proceeded toward the spot from
TiJience he had shot at the duck, which was still floating on the sur-
face. Manning having by this time joined him, he expressed his de-
termination to posse;ss the bird at any cost, and that he would swim
after it. He confessed, however, that he felt Bome' doubt about the
safety of such a proceeding, adding that he had once been a witness
to th^ death of a man who was seized and destroyed by a shark along^
*»
MYSTERIES OF THE DEEF SEA.
287
side of his own boat. NotwithstanJing this (his own) opinion of ihe
risk he was about to incur, and the wa- g of his friend, he un-
dressed and plunged into the stream. IL jg swum a little distance
he was observed to throw himself on his back, as if startled by some
object beneath him, but in another moment he was pursuino- his course
When, however, he was about to lay his hand on the bird, his body
was violently convulsed, and, throwing his hands on high, he uttered
a most piercing shriek, after which he was seen to be gradually drawn
under the surface, never to reappear.
HORRIBLY MANGLED BY A CROCODILE.
Baker, in his "Nile Tributaries of Abyssinia," mentions the death
of a celebrated Arab hunter, caused by being dreadfully mangled by
acrocodile in the Atbara River. He says: " Accidents are continally
occurring m this dangerous sport (hunting hippopotami), as the
hunters are so constantly exposed, like baits, to the attacks of croco-
diles. During the last season one of the sheik's party was killed
Several men were swimming the river supported by inflated skins
when one was suddenly seized by a crocodile. Retaining his hold
upon the support, his comrades had time to clutch him by the hair
and beneath the arms; thus the crocodile could not drag the buoyant
skins beneath the surface. Once he was dragged from their grasp
but holding to his inflated skin, he regained the surface, and was a-ain
supported by his friends, who clung to him, while he implored them
to hold him tight, as the crocodile still held him by the leg. In this
way the hunters assisted him 5 at the same time they struck down-
ward with their spears at the determined brute, until at last they drove
It from its hold. Upon gaining the shore, they found that the flesh
of the leg, from the knee to the foot, had been stripped from the
bone, and the poor fellow shortly died.*'
NOBODY BUT A SLAVE; BUT CHI THE NECKLACE I
The Kafue River of South Africa is almost as famous as the Zouga
or the huge reptiles that render its waters so dangerous to man or
beast. The crocodiles in this stream are said to frequently attain a
length of twenty.five feet. Lurking in the reeds along the banks, these
mighty saunans succeed in capturing great quantities of game, not
infrequently taking in the fierce cape buffalo, that is a fair match for
tbe strongest hon. To effect the capture of these great animals, the
crocodile hides himself in the reeds beside a frequented watering
place, and when tb« buffajo stoops to drink, the wily reptile Bevm
' i
'0.
288
fiEA AND LAND.
the unsuspecting beast by the nose and drags it into the water ; here,
having all the advantage, the crocodile holds the head of its victim
under the water until it is drowned, after which the carcass is re-
moved to the bank, where it is allowed to remain until putrefaction
begins, when the reptile enters upon its repast.
Women, who do all the menial labor in Africa, and their duties
taking them most frequently to the river banks, fall victims to the
crocodiles so often that accidents of this kind rarely occasion any
excitement whatever among the tribes to which the victims belong.
Bains mentions a case to illustrate this indifference upon the part of
the natives to the loss of their women. He says that Chapman, his
companion, upon reaching Victoria Falls, tried to obtain from a sheik
some information respecting the Kafue and other rivers. In so doing
he casually mentioned Green's accident on the river near Libebe,
where, after the canoe had been capsized by a hippopotamus, Mr.
Bonham and one or two natives were seized by crocodiles. ♦* Yes,"
responded the sheik, •' they are nasty beasts, those crocodiles; only
lust night one of them took one of my girls, and my necklace,
too! A fine bead necklace I was letting her wear." He was
utterly unconcerned about the death of the girl, but suffered the
greatest grief over the loss of his necklace, which was much more
difficult to replace.
TWO SLAVES EATEN BY OROOOOrUES.
Francisco Valdez, who spent six years in Africa, and has given us
some very interesting descriptions of that country, writing of the
River Barrado Bengo, says: ♦* The crocodiles in this river are numer-
ous, and of an enormous size. The natives have a novel way of de-
stroying them ; t^iey take a small pig, and after killing it, drive
through it a strong stick, each end of which has been made very
sharp, and to the center of which they fasten a long rope. This bait
being thrown in the way of the crocodile, that voracious animal im-
mediately seizes it, and the sharp pointed stick piercing its jaws, the
natives at once draw it on shore, where it is quickly dispatched."
Valdez, continuing his journey up the Bengo, came to some well
cultivated farms, which he was invited to inspect, and while describ-
ing his visit, says: «« While we were engaged in inspecting the vari-
ous parts of the farms along the river, we were suddenly aiarmed
by the piercing cry, *UafuI Ay-u-el' and a great move-
ment toward the river. Soo» afterward we were informed that it ww
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290
SEA AND LAND.
occasioned by two negroes, when about to enter their canoe, be^ng
attacked by the jarcares, or crocodiles, which succeeded in seizing the
unfortunate men, who were drawn to the bottom of the river, and
again raised to the surface for the purpose, as the people believe, of
tantalizing them, and showing their triumph. It is said that the
crocodiles never commence devouring their victims until quite dead,
when they drag the bodies to some secluded place on the edge of the
river, where they devour them.
'* Soon afterward a number of the negroes came to the master and
/equested permission to go and revenge the death of their two com-
rades, both of whom were carpenters belonging to the estate. If I
was amazed at the awful catastrophe, I was more so at the strange
answer returned. ♦ No,' said he, ' the jacara is mine, and I ordered
him expressly to kill every one whom he met, until the bridge I or-
dered you to build was completed.' "
EXTRAORDINARY TENACITY OF LIFE.
There are few, if any, creatures so difficult to destroy as the croco-
dile, as one or two instances will serve to show : A gentleman in
Ceylon contrived to catch a crocodile by means of a large hook, and
landing it, crushed its skull and otherwise mutilated the creature,
until, to all outward appearances, life was extinct. Wishing to pre-
serve the body until he could have it skinned, he opened the belly and
removed all the viscera, and kept the aperture open by means of a
stick placed across it, and turned the animal upon its back. What
was his astonishment upon his return to the creature, after an hour's
absence in search of some persons to do the skinning, to find that the
dissected animal had recovered sufficiently to leave the bank and dis-
JEippear in the water, where he was unahie to find it again.
John Duncan, the Dahomy traveler, had an experience not wholly
different from the above, which he relates in the following language:
*' Mr. Hanson, myself and a young Portugese, went up the lagoon to
visit the Greejee market, and also to endeavor to kill an alligator-
crocodile. We only saw two on our passage up; but on our re-
turn in the afternoon, we first observed one of small dimensions.
about five feet and a half. It was close to the water's edge, under
the boughs of a low shrub. I fired with a rifle and struck it, but it
However, in ten minutes after we were more fortunate. One of the
canoe-men observed a large one on the banks, several yards from the
MYSTERIES OF THE DEEP SEA. 291
water, apparently fast asleep. After ffettinc ti,« «
I fired and shot it through the hardesfpa't of^> ^ ^ '*''^^'
it rushed into the water AfLTT ^ u '*' ^'"'^' "P"" ""^^^^
about to leave the Toot' .;t .u"^ ^^""* '^"^^ *™«' «°d being
at a Short TtateX ;f ^^ Jhtro\lh4^^ ^^^^^^
broken Stake of the f^s,i.,^::J:tr:^s1^:-:'^ ^V
above the water T fii-ori « o^ j i ^'vei, us nead only
•oa Cried away /.a^e" ;o^'lf::^'^Jr'^'^ T''' ^'^
into the water, but imn,.Hi„t.i ' P"" "'"<■'' '' '"nk
thee took a sw;rd be Z-t"';'^. Z"'" "«"'" "> ">e surface. I
into it, belly, wlfik^ffow" '"'"''' ^"'"^'^^«' »"<" '•'«' i'
tothebottou,":' Consider ulhal thTZT'' ""^ ""'^•"•" -"^
deredthe cauoe-man to geri, toM ° ? ™7'" '"'" dead. I or-
iiiau lo ger into the water and secuifi if K..f „ii l
■hi. ti.e, a« if proved ^1'; Ir ^L' ^n™ Lt' ;: liV"'' " "
after perceived twenty yards hiaher nn .L 7 ™' *"'°"
^though in this mutilated state ° "^ '""""• ^"" «*'''°«'
™:„T:daTl"alTe"'oirr.he"" '"."':, ""' """'"' - --""O' the
back. As "ilcoltaued rr ; 'f'"' '"" '"'■•P'"'- '» "^
another bullet 1 7 Zd ';, ™f « ^'"l "PP--d ^fong, 1 lodged
pletely smashed it After'clSeV m"^ '""'"""''^ ''"'"'"^' <="»-
the animal to the sterT f the ' T"''" '""gS""?. »« secured
fishe,™an. ' ""^ ™"°' ^"'^ a rope borrowed from the
«wTcMefroroV;htt7k r/r •""'^^'' '° ="^™ "»«- 1- «>»
the anim 1 is a very vTrulenS" r ""^'"^ ' '"'• »' ""> g"" »*
all such occaaionsTo Zhe d^ -"" '" ^'"'""'^ '° "^ S'"™ <">
Wng used uulawfuny Me' Tethl ^ TT' "'."''"^ '" P'»'«"' "»
throw it into the river c^ti^J^ L n'u .? "" ""' "^e gail and
then delivered to t:e pr/on f ^ ^k^I \ ''''^^- «-'• ,^0 animal is
cradle of ac'V-?"" fS - earnest civilization and bein^ fKo
•dge of art anri^ktarietT whe-e «,,ece derived her k°no;i.
«».. than any oZr ritC T^Tt^ ""^ '""^' '"'>'' -P"'*""
^ - duog-heetleand o:^;dife^;r„: SSt^r
1
298 8EA AND LAND.
held especially aacred, where it was buried in the labyrinth with dead
kings, beiug held too sacred in death even for Herodotus to see.
In the city of crocodiles, founded gratefully by King Menas, whom
a crocodile ferried over lake Moenis upon its back when the disloyal
hunting hounds drove royalty into the water, was a crocodile so
sacred, that it was kept separately in an especial lake, and suffered
the touching of the priest. This was the crocodile Sachus, says Dr.
Gardner, quoting Strabo— " one of our most distinguished citizens"
in the city of crocodiles,— showed him and his friends as the sacred
curiosity, conducting them to the brink of the lake, on whose bank
the animal was extended. While some of the priests opened its
mouth, one put in the cake and then the meat, after which the wine
^as poured. The crocodile would then dive to the other side of the
lake, where a similar lunch would be given it. It has no tongue, says
Plutarch, speaking through Sir Gardher, and is therefore regarded
as an image of the deity itself, " the divine reason needing not speech
but going through still and silent paths while it administers the
world with justice."
BATTLE BETWEEN A CROCODILE AND TIGER.
The crocodile is not only master of the haunts wherein he dwells,
but his survey of power extends to the shore also, where he delights
to lurk and watch for his prey as it comes to drink. He has an om-
nivorous appetite, and fully, conscious of his strong armature and the
power of his well-armed jaws, he is little respecter of the character
of his prey, whether it be the graceful pallah, innocent and defense-
less, or the lordly tiger, whose fierce howls strike terror into the
breasts of all quadrupeds, and whose teeth and claws are so terrihle
to cope with, the crocodile is totally indifferent ; he attacks either
with the same assurance when moved by hunger.
The tiger, like the crocodile, prefers the deep shadows of a dense
copse, and he seldom strays far from water, as an ungovernable thirst
invariably follows a heartiy meal, and he madly plunges his head into
the water up to his eyes to slake his desire. At this time the tiger
becomes almost indifferent to his surroundings, and while thus drink-
ing he frequently falls a victim to the deadly crocodile, that ap-
proaches with a stealth which is rarely discovered until he is fast in
the reptile's jaws.
A hunter in India thus describes a combat which he once witnessed,
and which took place on the edge of a small, stagnant creek that, in
the spring-time, flows past a little village not far from Jabalpur.
293
BATTLB BETWEEN A CROCODILE AND TIGER.
294
81SA AND LAND.
*« I had been hunting tigers for some months in the valleys of t!ie
Jabalpnr country, and was fortunate in bagging eight without en-
countering any particular peril. In the month of September I got
on the trail of another that had been committing much havoo amonu-
the flocks in the district of Ramgarb, but though I followed hira with
the greatest perseverance, and adopted every possible expedient to get
a shot, I was unsuccessful. One day information came to me that the
tiger had been seen in its favorite haunts, and, moreover, had cap-
tured another bullock which it had dragged into a thick copse, whence
the natives were afraid to follow.
" Getting everything ready, I procured two gun-bearers, and fol-
lowing the directions of my informants, I proceeded m quest of the
wily animal. An hour's walk brought us to a place where I felt sure
the tiger had entered the jungle with his prey, and making my way
slowly and cautiously I was not long in, tracing him to the spot where
he had made a heaity meal off the bullock, which I found was more
than half eaten. The most careful examination, however, failed to
discover the tiger, which I was now certain was not far off quenching
his thirst at some pool of water. I knew there was a small creek less
than half a mile distant, and thitherward I directed my steps, quite
sure that I should find the bold depredator, and in a condition, too,
that would make him an easy victim.
**I found the creek without trouble, and followed its shore only a
few hundred yards, when around a sharp bend I heard a slight splash-
ing, which led me at once to believe that I was very near the game.
I had proceeded less than twenty steps further when my ears were
thrilled by an agonizing roar, followed by a dreadful splashing in the
waters and a half stifled growl. Bushing up, I was soon made
acquainted with the cause of the tumult, for in the boiling, mud-
covered waters I saw a crocodile and tiger in a terrible death struggle;
at the same moment I caught sight of a female tiger as she was mov-
ing off, evidently little concerned about the dire extremity into which
her male companion had fallen. •
'* The two combatants were too deeply engaged in the conflict to
give any heed to my approach , while I was too much interested in the
fight to end it by a shot from ray rifle. I therefore let them fight it
outs finxious to see the outcome. The crocodile had seized the ti^sr
by tku head, and evidently while the latter was drinking, for its hold
was a terrible one, and placed the forest rover at a great disadvao'
MYSTEOIKS OF THE DEEP f,EA. jgg
luge, Notwithstanding this, the tiger strove valiantiv »„^ .
entirely without avail, f„.. „ith it, lefl fore^inw H Z 1^' dt! , "
L.k3 a 6u l-dog the erocod.le maintained it, powerful hold on it, ad
vcr,ary 8 head, from which blood flowed freelv and soon ,h » "
tongue was protruded hotweeu the two eaniu: t ^r. Ht gt^,:;
allyhlack from the grinding pressure exerted on the vietin N w d"
for nearly a nu e ; the trger seemed only anxious to escape its foe
and so tugged violently shoreward, while the crocodile exe ted alMU
strength to draw ,ts victim into the water. Thus was the tut of ,
conttuned until, weakened fron, great pain a,d I stf bLd tZ
.ger gradually gave way, until soon the crocodile had lomploted Us
r,n„,ph and started across the creek to make a meal J^ho I't
it il :' ™„7T '"■ .f ",' ""• """'"• •™" O"-"- 'he trophfo
ins vi<-t<"-y. but I, nevertheless, put a ball behind his ri<Tht fore
shoulder, wh,eh was so instantly fatal that the crocodile at once sa k
:;s:or ' ""=' ""'- '""^ ■"- "- '>-" -- -=1^;
fo::fi":tt.irt,>r i.rwr;:,/,:''"'"''', r ^""■"'' '-'
A IX- 11 , ° J ^ "'^" "^^n crushed and its thr#»nt
THE VORACIOUS ALLIGATOR.
.in!l;L''!rpuh:ireV'''' "'"-t •"" ■""»"""" '^ *«™" '« ^■-
i^uisn, except that the former is larger than the latter- its teeth i«
»m„re formidable, and the head somewhat longer, but in hab
otlie alligator, entirely wanting in the crocodile, is its habit of
we n the croaking of a large bull-frog and the roar of a mad bull
. Like tr:r„dt,t xro^ •: t d!yr *" '"' ™'-^-
lainmg' life for some time even when mutilated in i
he brain and viscera are destroyed ; and so In
ce of life, 't will try to bite. Fortunately,
ev
296
v A tan> T.AN1K
hi.
III
turn its head vei'} iilffhtly fion.j ^ dl« to 8id«, rw nccoutit of bony pro-
jecti(tii?i, but its tail y f<ole»8 foi. ^Mabl© than its niotJth, « weupun
which it uses quite as much.
In some parts «•£ Florida, where alli^^fitot^ «re jmrtioukriy numer-
ous, natives catch tk'^ i i^ill Uiinn in the foll< vii^g ouiious manner: A
grapnel is inatle of Umr strotig sticks hushtai 4Ui €u« h end, and so
bound together that thus iioima radiate from leacla othot . This siii.ru.
lur apparatus is baited usually with a piece of pork, which is tlicii
Btispended about one foot above the water by means of a rope. When
the alligator seizes the bait, his efforts to dislodge it forces the sharp
barbs into his throat, and makes it impossible for him to escape, so
that he falls a victim to those who are thus trapping for him.
A MISSIONARY SEIZED BY AN ALLIQATOR.
Hearing so much of alligators in the bayous of our Southern coun-
A MlSSICf. \RY SEEKD BY AN ALLIGATOR.
try, many suppose it to be an animal peculiar to the United States,
but this is a decided mistake, for it is found in South America under
the name of oayman, however, and is very plentiful in the rivers of
South Africa.
Rev. Lewis Grout, for fifteen years a missionary in Zululand, de-
scribes an incident to which he was an eye-witness, as follows:
* With reptiles, g ;t md small, it is far otherwise in
«( ♦
these our Zuiuiaud. With Un- , ,g. tor, che most formidable and
TOost feared of this family, n- ariy ili Uie deen still vpaters of our
IJWger rivers are infested. The o ag -, fierce, stidy brutes, too well
MYSTERIES OF THE DEEP SEA,
297
L'l'n couii-
3 States,
Wf
3a under
ivei's of
1
and, de-
I
s:
1
rwise in
H
ible and
K
s of our
■
;oo well-
H
known to noecl description, are called liy the natives iriffwenga — a.
name which some inuke to mean, aquatic gorginjj tiger.' Backing
upon the sand-banks, or among the reeds of the river'H bank, or,
Bcouiing its deep pools, ho is the dread of the trav . lor conipelkid to
(TOSS the stream. Mr. Butler, a membci of our mission, narrowly
escaped from one of these fi,:vage creatures with his life.
«* In going to one of the stations it was necessary for him to cross the
Unikomazi. No natives being at hand to manage the boat, ho ven-
tured to cross on horsoback, though the water was deep and turbid.
As ho went over safuly, wh-Mi he returned the next day ho again ven-
tured into the river in the same way. Wlien about two-thirds of the
way across, hi", horse suddenly kicked and plunged as if to disen-
gage himself f- >,m his rider, and the next moment an alligator seized
Mr. Butler's thigh with its horrible jaws. The river at this place is
about one hundred and fifty yards wide, if measured at right-angles
with the current ; but from the place we enter to the place wo go out,
the distance is three times as great. Mr. Butler, when he felt the
sharp teeth of the alligator, clung to the mane of his horse with a
death-hold ; instantly he was dragged from the saddle, and both he and
the horse were floundering in the water, often dragged entirely under,
and rapidly gcjing down the stream. At first the alligator drow them
to the middle of the river, but at last the horse gained shallow water
and approached the shore. As soon as ho was within reach, the
natives ran to his assistance and beat off the alligator with their
spears.
" Mr. Butler was pierced with five deep gashes, and had lost much
blood. He left all his garments except his shirt and coat on the op-
posite shore with a native, who was to follow him ; but when the struir-
gle commenced, the native returned and dared not venture into the
vater again It was now dark, and without garments, and weak from
"•'-' loss of b'oo.'% he had seven miles to ride before he could reach
iu station of a brother missionary. He borrowed a blanket of a na-
tive, and after two hours succeeded in reaching the station, more dead
than alive. His hors^jvas terribly mangled, a foot square of flesh
and skin being torn frAm the flank. The animal, it is supposed, first
seized the horse, and when shaken off it caught Mr, Butler first below
the knee and then in the thigh, making five or six wounds from two
to four inches long, and from one-half to two and one-half inches
wide. After a severe illness, Mr. Butler recovered."
*^.-^%
298
SEA AND LAND.
FIQHT BETWEEN AN ALLIGATOR AND BEAR •
Huntmg alligators in our country ulong the gulf-coast affords
considerable sport, and is indulged in to a large extent. Although
thousands are killed every jear, their numbers do not perceptibly
diminish, and the supply will no doubt be abundant for many yenrs
to come. They are very destructive to poultry and pigs, and will
craw out of the bayous at night-time and visit barnyards with all
tne stealth of foxes or bears.
FIGHT BETWEEN A BEAR AND ALLIGATOR.
A gentleman visiting in Florida, while penetrating the tanc^led
forest upon one occasion heard a growling and wrestling which lave
him much concern for his safety, but ve.ituring to discover the cluse
observed a bear and eroeodlle in deadly conflict. Bruin was bleed-
mg from several severe wounds, but he was now astride the saurian,
which, in Its struggles, had turned upon its back, holding one of its
UTstERtlss OP TBS t>BEt SEA.
299
fore-feet in h,s mouth and evidently at great advantage. Th« all.Va-
tor s rtrnggles were terrible, lashing its tail with a foL sufficientt
Ml almost any hvmg thing, but its efforts now had no other effect
^lat Th r" "^ "'f g""'" »»» make a clear space for tte
combat. The bear never left his safe perch, but kit chewing his
.ntagonisfs leg and giving voice to low growls of vjgeful sSac
The fight thus continued for the space rif several minutes without
change unt.l at length the alligator realized the futility of his efforte
to shake off tho bear and wisely concluded to transfer the scene of
Wtle to U,e water Conceiving that he would be altogether better
off m h,s proper element, the alligator dragged itself wi^h great diffi
«Jyo„ three leg., to the river bank, bruin riding his foe with no
tor rolled into the water like a mud-turtle tumbling off a lo.- • hu'l
tenacous and dogged was the bear, that it maiut°u„ed itsl,old aud
disappeared under the water with the alligator. Bnt, though full of
courage and the disposition to conquer or die, bruin could not Mt
uajer water, and was compelled to let go. As he rose to the surface,
e looked anxumsly around, but failing to discover his enemy, he re^
IhTwH "■"' ''""'"" ""'' " ""«• "'"> "'^" '•'"•<•« "■'»
THE THAtASSITES.
Associated with the seal and c-ocodile in their habit of spendine a
greater portion of the time on land, while yet being evidently waler
ammals, are the Thalassilee, which is a Greek term used by naturll-
,sts, meamng the sea, and applied to sea-tnrtles to distinguish them
ron, the land-tortoise, marsh-tortoise and river-tortoise. It is LZ ■
a,„ed by some that the sea-turtle never quits the water except at
Jdmg tnne, to deposit their eggs in the sand, where thry a™
hatched by the heat of the sun. But this assertion is manifestly i ,!
00.™ , for there are hundreds of trustworthy travelers who d -
cla e that a greater portion of the tin.o is spent out of water by sev-
roreTord'r'"T-°' r''"' """' «»>""> •"Sthms on the Lean
W ! ^ i °'"'""' P'"'""- ^' '' "■""- '"'wever, that the thal-
M.tes do not come on shore to sleep, like the tortoise or t.,wl .7 „f
oar rive,^ iut sleep profoundly out ..t sea, cradled by the waves- a
.b wh,ch ,s taken advantage of by fishermen, who Approach Tt so
cautiously ,n boats as to be able to seize it bv their hands
300
BBA AND LAND.
4
t
The Chelonidce, whose dorsal shell is covered with hard, horny
plates, possessing peculiar properties, and which are well-known to
everybody under the name of tortoise shell, is the most common o*
all the sea species. Its fecundity is amazing, as it lays no less than one
hundred eggs at a time, and these are not destroyed by birds or ani-
mals, as are the egfi:s of crocodiles ; neither are the young turtles
CATCHING A SLEEPING TURTLE IN THE MOZAMBIQUE.
pursued by any enemies. Notwithstanding its rapid increase, the
chelomdaB are appreciably decreasing on account of man's incessant
pursuit of .them for the sake of their costly and beautiful shell.
This gnhsfnnno \a fTa^nr>A f..^ ;*.- i j . ,
,- c ,,, ,„,a^.a iui ita iiarunuss, transparency, gleuiiHiig
shades of color, the ease with which it is wrought and, the fine polish
of which it is susceptible.
MT8TERIES OF THE DEEP SEA.
301
OURIOSITIES OF SEA - TURTLES.
The edible, or green turtle, is one of the largest of the genus, some-
times attaining a length of seven feet and weighing nearly ohe
thousand pounds. In shape it somewhat resembles a heart, or the
shields worn by mediaeval soldiers. Its flesh is peculiarly-savory, on
account of which it is vigorously hunted in its haunts about Ascension
Island and the West Indies.
In the hot months of January, February, March and April, the
females seek the land at night, and waddling over the sands in tho
various bays of the islands, far above high-water mark, they scrape
up, by alternate scoops of their flippers, a hole deep enough to cover
their bodies. Into this they get, sighing heavily, and deposit from
one to two hundred eggs, cover them up and leave them for the sun
to hutch, and then waddle back toward the sea again. Two hunters
are, in the meantime, on the lookout, watching her movements, and
running after 1 1 r one of them seizes a fore-flipper, which he dex-
terously shoves under her to serve as a purchase ; while the other,
careful to avoid a stroke which might lame him for life, with a hook
cants the turtle over on her back, where she lies helpless, being un-
able to turn herself again. Thus in a night two men will some-
times turn fifteen or twenty turtles, and in the morning drag the
unfortunate creatrres into their boats, whence they are taken to
market.
The imbricated, or hawk-billed turtle, is so called from the fact that
its scales lap over, like tiles on a roof, and its nose terminates in a
beak, which bears a striking resemblance to a hawk's bill. It is a
native of the warm seas, where it is hunted for its beautiful shell,
which is semi-transparent, and finely checkered with cloudy undula-
tions of a whitish, reddish, yellowish and brownish hue, so that when
polished and carefully wrought, it is capable of adaptation to numer-
ous ornamental purposes.
In the Mozambique Channel, where the imbricated turtle is found
in considerable numbers, the natives capture it by employing the
remora, or sucking-fish, in the following curious manner : This^fish,
which has already been described, is attached to a long line by means
of a ring, so fixed around its tail as not to interfere with its swim-
ming. The fish is thrown overboard, and as its nature is to attach
itself to the first moving thing which it sees in the water, it usually
encounters a large turtle, and so firmly adheres to it that both fish
and turtle are drawn on board.
HOME OF THE LEATHER-BACK TURTLE.
802
MYSTERIES OF THE DEEP SEA. 3^3
>ve,Vhi„g fifteen hunSpondl T" . """"f ' '"" ■°f'->»™"y
eulated ridge, traverse the ':» o e,,.^™, itTeli; "'"'"■"'"' '""''-
caught .... harpooned the, g.e ve„t';fa;i,;d " ^^r:' hT'f
l.le to hear; hence its scientific immp .<?^7,«..^- ry y "' e^^^"' horn-
G.eek, signifies ^^ noise inZ 7Zl^^ T^^^^ which, in the
ous to man . ''^' ^*' ^^'^ '« ««'d *« be poison-
Th..h 1 T"%''^^'""'^° ^"«TLE PIERCER THAN A T.QER.
or attacks its foe. This Zcrand dT \ " '"="''=' "^ P'-'J'
i..spires the smaller eroatuferboultttMe'ro'r ITifaT' 'T "fl
by man, upon whom it will mnt. i k "^"";®^^"^' ^^»t is also dreaded
i co„4enees 7 .« ;i1he baTr trrr "'"""^ """ '■^"■
fortunate aniraals a, thoy co„,e Z dri ,7 '™'"'"=l""y """'r «»-
among water-fowls which it,!! fV , »"■""■•« g«at havoe
comes possessed of « ,i«,r-i- i, i? 7'*«g®« tniough the water be-
«^^-^y^ZiiilL^t£jrfl' ™""°gi'« long flexible
the feet, with the ei«^ nt ., ..l„ °» , ' "" """ '"<** f''"™
«-«le that was'"being l»eyaTtZ,T'''T^''r "'""PP'"^'
'-of asai,or.fro» whioh^it^bra1;fJeranrrwe:rir'' '"'
304
SEA AND LAND.
TENAOITY OF LIFE,
^ The following curious account of this turtle's tenacity of life is
given in Wood's Natural History: ''As regards the tenacity of life
of the snapping turtle, and the sympathy which seems to exist be-
tween its several limbs and body for some time after separation has
taken^ place, I witnessed a very curious incident while stopping at a
farm in Massachusetts.
«* Wlien I had brought the animal home, suspended by the tail, I
killed it by chopping off its head, yet the mouth continued to open
and shut and the eyes to roll intelligently about. When I held a stick
between the open jaws, it closed them with violence ; meanwhile the
THE SNAPHNG, OR TIGER TURTLE.
m
headless body was crawling about on the ground. About an hour
after severing the head, my mother got some boiling water, which I
poured over the body, and then placed it in a tub, so as to* separate
the horny matter from the flesh. The moment this was done the back
heaved and the sides were puffed out as if wind were blown between
the skin and flesh, and instantaneously the head, which lay about
three or four feet from the tub of hot water, on the ground, opened
its mouth with a slight hissing sound, let go its hold on the stick, and
the part of the neck adhering to the head expanded, as if also wind
rracr r^tvTvu xutO iL, Buu wuiu uouy uno nead lay motionless and dead.
After having taken out of the body thirty-four eggs, I tore out thQ
MYSTERIES OF THE DEEP SEA. 305
heart, which, strange to say. was still throbbing with life, contructinc.
and expandmg. I put it upon a plate, where it kept on beating un S
about noon tho following day." °
CHAPTEE XIX.
BIRDS OF THE SEA.
|hE cariosities of the sea are not confined to the monsters which
f live therein, nor to the qaaint and strange forms that pZle
>*i 'nte™*'-" the singular natures bred in the ocean realm. Ho J
mach too big appears the whale from the mammalia family, an anfma"
aaable to breathe m water, warm-blooded and suckling its;„„n? Tnd
jot flsh-like. We may say the same of seals and thalassftes which
«^ conspicuous types of a double kingdom, since thev are do ibS
natured. But the anomalistic features of Hfe i„ the sei extends stm
ftlrther. for there are aquatic birds so singularly allied toflsh-natu "
hat they are equally common to land or water, while the madrep " c
ormafaons are the connecting link between the mineral and Znd
l,fe , thus have we a universality, and representatives of all the div i '
.oas of natural history in the sea. which baffle our undorstandin J f o
reconcile. If my readers have found entertainment i, The wfi, !
pages devoted to life in the sea, they will find no little interes T h^
fclowmgdescripuonsof curious sea-birds, those ocean rovers whose
sails are always spread and whose keels pass alike lightly over b"ffot!
mg waves or deadly reefs. '^ ounet-
THE OREAT DIVERS.
The largest species of water-birds, of which we have any distinc
account, was the Great Auk. last found on the coast of IceiLd si,
tb rty years ago and now believed to be extinct. It warappareX
«»ly.n enlarged image of the millions of existing auks ?^u,d ™
'2H:z\t ": ^r^""" '""''•^"' -«»-' bein^giusL ":'.:;
" It ^H? - ---d f -"b ": '"""^ principally in th"e Arctic
regarded by ^Jto."^"^" """"•""'* '"'«'«'' '« auperstitiously
The great diver swims and dives with astonishing facility, .nd
306
SEA AMD LAND.
trusts so completely to this natural accomplishment that it very rarely
takes wing, and is an indifferent flyer. It is possessed of a marvel-
ous instinct for foretelling storms, and this same instinct admonishes
him to seek the open sea, and there receive the tempest, where he
rides the waves fearless of injury. Though it is common to find the
dead bodies of auks and penguins on the beach after a storm, where
they have been killed by waves dashing them against the rocks, such
THE GORFOU AW ITS NEST VILLAGE.
an accident never occurs to ithe diver, and his immunity from storm
dangers and prescience for foretelling foul weather have raised him
to the positiMP ^ 'true prophet ampng sailors, who consider it a grave
^cfime ito ;kiU rthe bird-augur.
The feet of the great diver are placed so far behind that they are
almost utterly useless on land, except in jjushing the bird forward on
this breast, its progress on lapd .being mjide by crawling. Thou|;li
MYSTERIES OF THE DEEP SEA. 307
no little formidableneas lA. • ,, * ^^'^^ '* * ^^^P^n of
On^ r.t 4.U . . "^"^ JA0KA88 PENGUIN.
gates i'„ /oeks' numbo j g tuS^of th ° 'T' "^^7 '' """i^
placed so far behind th.. L boltart Mt Irif :; T' '"* '""
its tarsus, or lower portion nt fKl i u '^"" "P"?''*- "hen on shore,
of a sole to stand onThe'in;, ^' J" ^ *""'""'' '" "<=' «>« ?««
rise, b„t, like the 7wer uZTZ '"'"'^'^' '" """ " -"""""
great. Singuiarly enort thoullr"""""^ •""'*'^' ""<* "*
fear, and will suffer itsel°f to h« ,!, ' *''\P«»e"'° '««'>'» ii-sensibl. to
stick, particular,, rnto* felZ r^' ''""''^' ""' "'* '
it™^:^trn!:re:-ri:rifr;r:r^^^^^
":^.r»:\rn,:retr:th-h?H-^^^^
habits, which are atriti„„i„ „ • !^ * ""P* '" ""« <" two
■parade Jt'^np^2LTT\-^''"\'''' ^'"'"' '"=*<""' "^ «
array, and whether fyin"ost"„dir;r"t "^^ "''"'"' " ""'''"y
dressed, and eyes front' B,rt tf * ^^.^'''' '" "g"'«"l<>^e rank,
than a mere Tview for ?J ^^ °T^ '.^." "'''""'^ ^ ««" '"^her
of classes so th7 alh wU tlZltfT '" *"" "^-^^-t
cupy one position the^„,,?f ^ 1 "'«y»'»'g birds will oc
tl.W,and?h;d :; btdsatu7h.'":fd """T-':"' ""'"^ ""- »
these regulations that if a bf^ !f ■ '" """"^ ''" ^^"y '"'^«"'«
i. at onc'e ejected^o entlv and b °'"' ' "*'' ''^"'' "''°"'»' ''
.epeat the offense Srafes^vTlv """? " '"'^" ""* *°
stead of being committed to :i^i; ''fried In"! f .7"b :"""' '■-
thighs, and never abandoned for a n.;;eX„timftlhr ^" ""'
rnu r. * ^''^'^^ ^"'^"^ B^ OORFOU8.
"A a goose, and also for the extrnorHmo^^r „,„____ • ,. . .
"57? "t-*" «.««.. h«i;;,'ii;.~— ■■•'- "-»
308
SKA AND LAND.
ill the neighborhood of the sea, as level and free of stones as possi-
ble, and arrange the earth in perfect squares, the lines crossing eacli
other at right-angles as exactly as if drawn by a surveyor, forming
squares just hirge enough for nests, with a compartment between tiietn
which serves as a passage-way. After having made ready their
encampment each bird selects a square for its nest and takes posses-
sion of it. All the different species which breed in the rookeries,
the albatross excepted, take care of their brood as a family, and arc
governed by one and the same law ; they never abandon their nests
even for a moment, until their little ones are old enough to care for
themselves. The male bird hovers nep.r the nest so long as the female
sits upon it, and when the latter is about to retire he immediately
glides into her place; for if the eggs were exposed for an instant the
nearest neighbor would be certain to steal them. The royal gorfou
was the first to make thefts of this kind, and never lost an oppor-
tunity of stealing the eggs which he found unprotected near him.
Thus it sometimes happened that when the eggs were hatched, three
or four kinds of birds were found in one nest.
The Great Crested Grebe is even homelier than the gorfou, a com-
paiison which represents the former as about the ugliest and most
wierd-looking creature nature ever designed. Its two horns might be
likened to the devil, while its unkempt circular beard gives it the pro-
nounced look of a nameless thing that drives through the brain of a
dreamer when the stomach is disturbed by boiled cabbage and stale
beer. This fright-inspiring creature is equally adaj^ted to flying and
swimming, though preferring the water, and will not take wing except
when driven to it. The female grebe will bear her young upon her
back when danger threatens, and so closely will they nestle under the
maternal feathers that it is with difficulty they can be distinguished.
A SERPENTINE BIRD.
If naturalists did not maintain that it was impossible for a reptile
to wear feathers I should be inclined to call the Black-Bellied Darter a
serpent-bird; not that its appearance, when killed, resembles a snake,
for it does not, but because its habits and movements in the water
are singularly snake-like. This curious bird has a habit of stealing to
the shore and secreting itself on a limb hidden by thick foliage which
overhangs the water. Here it basks and watches for fish as they
swim beneath, whicu it catches by darting its sharp head like a
flash, swallowing the small prey al?jost ^s quickly. A person
MYSTERIES OF THE DEEP SEA.
809
THE CRESTED GREBE.
may watch a darter for hours and all the time believe it to oe a snake,
unless ho ,s familiar with the bird ; for its body lies so close to a limb
that It can scarcely be dis^nguished, while the bird has a way of mov-
ing its head and
long serpentine
neck backward and
forward that is an
exact imitation of
the action of an
excited snake. To
carry the delusion
still further, when
alarmed, the darter
drops into the water head-first,
and that, too, with as little noise
as would be made by an eel ; and
., , , , w^en coming to the surface again
It does not show any of its body, only a portion of the head and neck
movmg in a track exactly like a swimming snake
would make.
The darter seems to have been designed especial-
ly for rapid move-
ment through the
water under the
surface, for its
ibody is very slim
and its wings are
made to perform
the part of power-
ful fins, so that
it can shoot
through the water
ivith greater rapid-
ity, I dare say, than any fish, with possibly, a very few exceptions.
THE PELIOAN AND SOME SUPERSTITIONS ABOUT IT.
The Pelican is a bird so common, even though its home is on thfi
3ea-coast, that it hardly merits a description here; nor do I need to
say that it is chiefly remarkable for the dilatable pouch sustained by
its lower mandible, which is capable of storing a half bushel of fish
BLACK -BREASTED DARTER, OR SERPENT- BIRD.
310
8114 AND LAND.
at a time. «« This expansive pouch, whoso elasticity is well-knowfl to
all who have witnessed the shapes into which it can be stretched, will
hold a considerable number of fish, and thus enables the bird to dis-
pose of the superfluous quantity which hiuy bo taken during fishin"-
excursions, either for its own consumption or for the nourishment of
its young. In feeding the nestlings — and the male is said to supply
the female, when setting, in the same manner — the under mandible
is pressed against the neck and breast to assist the bird in disgonrino-
the contents of the capacious pouch, and during this action the red
nail of the upper mandible would appear to come in contact with the
breast, thus laying the foundation for the fable that the pelican nour-
ishes her young with her blood, and for the attitude in which the im-
agination of painters has placed the bird in books of emblems, etc.,
with the blood spurting from the wounds made by the terminating
nail of the upper mandible into the gaping»raouths of her offspring."
Some of the means employed by the pelican in catching fish mo
80 cunning as to appear like the result of reasoning, combined with
a perfect knowledge of the habits of their prey. Sometimes, like the
gulls, they will hover in the air until they discover a fish near the sur-
face, when they pounce down upon it with almost unerring certainty ;
in so doing they flap the water with their wings violently, evidently
to distract the fish from darting off sideways, or else to paralyze
it, though the reason is not fully uc lerstood. One of their ingeni-
ous methods, however, is as follows: Discovering a shoal of fish,
the first pelican that sees them turns back and communicates the
intelligence to all the rest, if a flock be near. They now swim out
from the bunch and form themselves into a large circle, surroundin<y the
school ; at a given signal from the leader each one begins to swim toward
the center, thus contracting the circle, and by agitating the water driv-
ing the fish together into a small area. They thus continue to swim,
picking up occasional prey that attempts to pass them, until the fish
are packed so closely together they cannot swim ; then the pelicans
fall upon the writhing fish and glut themselves to the utmost, besides
filling their pouches until their mouths are kept half open. They
then return to the shore to sleep and eat again.
The greed of the pelican is so well understood that they are fre-
quently kept by savage islanders and trained to fish, the keepers con-
.„.,.._ ^.,^^.^. .jj a, ctiiug uu wic uugu ui puuus uuu cHKiiig liie Dsii irom> ^B
them as fast as caught.
MV8TEH1ES OF THE DRRP gfiA.
ail
THE SWIFT -DIVINQ CORMORANT*. ^"M*
The Cormorant is not Ic.h common than the pelican, beinir found
in nearly a 1 parts <,f the worhl, inchuJing fre8h as well as salt water
bodies. They are allied to the pelican, though not closely, f(,r while
the latter is on the wing a g.eat portit,. of the ti.ne, the cormoi-ant
rarely soars, being a good swimmer and diver; but it is supplied with
an »8ophagian pouch, into which they stoi-e the fish not i.iimediately
needed for their food. For vo.acity the cormo.ant has no feathered
equal, and so expert are they that two or three of thcni will soon de-
populate a lai-ge lake of fish, During the summer of 1885 I had the
opportunity of watching five cormorants that kept together in Spirit
Lake, Iowa. They wei-e iiot particularly wild, and yet wise enoucrh
to keep jiist beyond shot-gun i-ange. The.r gluttony quite astonished
me; nearly eveiy moment they would dive and seize a good-sized
fish, which they would nearly always bring to the surface before swal-
lowing. Fiequently they would catch pickerel and wall-eyed pike-
fish of as much us two pounds weight, which they had little difficulty
in swallowing, and it appeai-ed that digestion was accomplished almost
instantly, for they never left off feeding.
The Chinese make excellent use of the cormorant, which thev
tram with no little care to take fish in the following manner- A
string IS tied to the bird's leg, of sufficient length to allow it to swim
to a distance from the boat, that it may gain confidence and for-et
that it 18 a captive; a ring is slipped over the neck that fits barely
tight enough to prevent it from gorging a fish of any size. Thus
prepared, the bii-d is taken out in a boat some distance from shore
au(l put into the water; it swims rapidly from its captoi's until a
Ijundred yards separate them, and now, feeling free, begins to fish
Ihe owner watches his bird carefully, ^nd the moment it captures a
large tish ho drags the bird toward him by the string ; the bird will
not loose its hold on the fish, but will continue its frantic efforts to
swallow It until the prey is taken from its mouth ; the bird is then
given a small piece of fish and set back into the water again, where
the same pei-formance is repeated. After sevei-al days spent in this
manner of training, the cormorant learns what is expected of it, and
will catch fish and return with them to the boat to receive the small
piece that is awarded for its services, apparently forgetting that it
eouiu swaliow the entire fish.
312
SEA AND LAND.
MOTHER OAREVS OHIOKEN8.
Far out at sea, and usually presaging rough weather, the stormy
petrels, or Mother Carey's chickens, as they are most generally called,
are met, skimming the waves and sometimes tapping their feet on the
surface, hence the name Petrel, or Little Peter, from a fancied imitu-
tion of 8t. Peter walking on the water. These birds, when flying, vtMv
closely resemble our common bank swallows both in size and appear-
ance. For many years it was believed that the petrel never visited
land but carried her eggs under her wings through sunshine and
tempest, ULtil they were hatched, when -the young immediately took
wing, which it never quitted again while living. It is now known that
they frequent headlands and islands not subject to disturbance, and
there nestle in crevices of the rocks, holes in the turf, or under stones
on the weedy shore, where the female lays a single large egg. Until
able to fly the young do not quit their nest, and as the setting birds
will not desert their young, however imminent the danger, they may
be taken with the hand. Upon being seized they discharge the con-
tents of their stomachs, which is generally a viscous fluid resembliuc^ oil
•' Up and down ! up and down !
From the base of the wave to the billow's crown,
And amidst the flashing and feathery foam
The stormy petrel finds a home ;
A home, if such a place there be
For her who lives on the wide, wide sea,
On the craggy ice, in the frozen air,
And only seeking her rocky lair
To warn her young, and teach them to spring
At once o'er the waves on their stormy wing."
It is not true that the petrel quits its flight only at breeding time,
for I have seem them time and again resting on the water like cruljs,
which their webbed feet and thick coat of breast-feathers eu^'abies
them to do with ease.
BrRDS OF TIRELE88 WINGS.
Besides the sea-birds that haunt the coasts or dive through the
waves as their natural element, there are others that live in the air,
visiting land only to deposit their eggs, or to sleep a short time after
great engorgement. Most familiar of these birds is the gull, of which
there are a number of species, but all essentially of the s.ame bahlts.
They are decidedly sociable, and at times become so tame that they
may be knocked down with clubs. Sailors regard them with cousid-
MYSTERIES OF THE DEEP SEA.
313
eruble affection, and will invariably protect them, so that compara-
Uvely few are wantonly killed. One of the first evidences of an
approach to land ,s the appearance of gulls about the ship; they come
out several nnles from shore to greet incoming vessels, and in hun-
arcds troo^p about the stern, watching in the wake for any bits of food
hat may be thrown overboard. Amusement is sometimes afforded
by droppmg a line with baited hook in the wake of the vessel, which
.s sure soon to be seized by a greedy gull, and being caught by the
ook a hvely struggle ensues to land it, for the line and hook must
both be very strong, or the bird will break away.
THE WANDERING ALBATROSS.
The least met with andyetthe best known bird that haunts the sea,
IS the Wandering Albatross, a bird of omen, and the subject of sailo^
superstitions, so exquisitely described in Coleridge's - Ancient Mari-
ner. It is very large, having an expanse of wings sometimes of
fourteen fee . and yet possesses the power of sailing along for days
at a tune without requiring rest or even flapping its wings. This power
to cleave the air by merely extending the wings, is possessed also by
the condor, buzzard, vulture, and a few others, and is a mystery
winch science does not attempt to explain. While walking in the
footsteps of hose who have gone before, and approaching the altars
of science with a feeling of veneration, nevertheless, I cannot resist
the omptation to offer my humble and crude opinion in explanation
of this sailing power of certain birds:
The most striking difference in the structure of birds and creeping
animuls is found in their bones, which in the former are hollow!
while in the latter they are filled with marrow. We know that mar-
row 18 the hfe principle of bone, for in case of fracture resulting in
a loss of marrow, the bone, thus bereft of its life-imparting princi-
pIc, dies, becomes rotted and disintegrates. If marrow is ^o essen-
^1 to the bones of animals, why is it wanting in the bones of birds?
The answer may be found in this : Nature, having designed birds
foi piissage through the air, gave to them a structure wonderful for
ts lightness and strength, in doing which she made their bones hoi-
w, and mstead of marrow, filled them with circulating air, which is
an equally active life-principle. In the albatross and other h".!
rirr • ""'?? ^ T"" ^y ^^^ ™"'^ expansion^ their wings.'the
a^ which circulates through their bones is supplil. not directfy from
tbe respiratory organs, but from the heart, which pumps the blood
314
SEA AND LAND.
through the veins, and hot air at the same time through osseous ducta
of the bones. This heated air acts to buoy the bird, in some much
greater than in others, because the supply is not the same in all
THE WANDERING ALBATROSS.
species. Any one who is careful to examine the bones of the alba-
tross will be astonished upon cracking them open to find how numer-
ous are the minute osseous ducts which ramify the hollow, and, if the
MYSTERIES OF THE DEEP SEA.
315
;l
bird be recently killed, they will also be surprised at the great heat
of the bones. The tendency of the bird, whose bones are thus filled
mth heated gases, is to rise or remain in suspension, as the will
directs, and by placing its wings at the required angle it is enabled to
move forward or sail in circles. Those who have watched these sail-
ing birds know that in moving directly forward they never do so on
the same plane, but gradually rise, then drop again, and thus continue
alternately rising and falling; this illustrates the principle I have tried
to explain, and serves to furnish a demonstration of the theory here
advanced : that it is due to the circulation, through the bones, of air or
gases, heated by the heart, certain birds are able to sail without flap-
ping their wings.
ANQLING FOR ALBATROSS.
The Albatross is found only in Southern seas, its principal haunts
being in the latitude of Patagonia, where it lives in great numbers.
Like the petrel, it follows ships for the sake of obtaining food, and
is such a glutton that it never knows when its appetite is satiated.
A voyager around Cape Horn relates that he once saw an albatross
seize a piece of whale's blubber weighing at least four pounds, which
it swallowed entire; the bird was now unable to rise from the water,
so gorged was its stomach, yet it eagerly seized another piece of equal
size, which was thrown to it on a hook, and only escaped capture by
the hook breaking in its mouth. Wood says:
" Angling fc albatross is a favorite amusement, and the bird often
gives good sport, sometimes rising into the air and being drawn down
on deck like a boy's kite, but generally hanging back with all its
might, and resisting the pull of the line by means of its wings squared
in the water. It is no easy matter to haul in an albatross under such
circumstances, and the bird often escapes by the hook tearing out or
the line breaking. Nothing, however, teaches it wisdom, for in a
few minutes it is quite as ready to take the bait again. Even those
that have been captured, marked by a ribbon tied round their necks
and set at liberty, will follow the vessel as soon as they recover them-
selves.
"When an albatross is hooked the others become very angry, think-
ing that their companion is monopolizing the tempting food. Down
„hey sweep accordingly, pounce on the spot, and when settled on the
water are very much astonished to see their companion towed away
and themselves left sitting on the waves with nothing to eat. Should
m
I:;; I li
^^^^^^raS?
mh s
316
SEA AND LAND.
one of these birds be shot, the remainder pounce upon it at once, and
soon entomb their late companion in their rapacious maws. These
birds may, under some ciicumstances, be dangerous to human beings
as they have been observed to swoop upon the head of a man who
had fallen overboard, and their long, powerful beaks are fearful
weapons."
" I have read," says Mangin, " in a French paper, of the super-
THE SWIFT -WINGED FRIGATE-BIRD.
cargo of a French vessel, who having in bravado mounted on one of
the yards and missed his footing fell into the waves. Unfortunately,
the ship was not provided with any effective apparatus for the rescue
of the drowning; but while a boat was being lowered to hasten to his
tx^Tl^tr^i
batrosses threw themselves upon the unfortunate man, striking him
with their heavy wings, and tearing his head and face with th«ir cruel
MYSTE.ilES OF THE DEEP SEA.
317
beaks. Unable to maintain this fierce combat againstboth the billows
and his voracious enemies, he sank before the eyes of his approach-
ing comrades."
THE SWrFT- WINGED FRIGATE-BIRD.
Nature seems to have created certain birds and animals only to rob
others, withholding from them the instinct to procure food by inno-
cent means, and thus licensing them to commit piracy through the
operation of natural laws. An illustration of this curious fact is
found in the Frigate-bird, whose life is devoted entirely to bricrand-
age. This creature is little else than wings, having, we might°say
the body of a sparrow and the pinions of an eagle. When the storm
breaks it lifts itself to the serene heights where calm ever prevails
The poetical metaphor, false in relation to every other bird is no
mere figure of speech when applied to him. Literally, he sleeps upon
the storm. When he wills to fly all distance vanishes ; he may break-
fast in China, and dine in America. He is the realization of Puck's
boastto «« putagirdie about the world in forty minutes." Thou^rh borne
through the air at lightning speed the frigate-bird spends a° lonely
nomadic existence, traversing fields which must soon grow monoto-
nous, and, leading the life of a robber, he meets the robber's fate
satiated to-day, hungry to-morrc-, mobbed by outraged victims the
next.
Up and down the watery world speeds the frigate-bird, watchincr
with piercing eyes the industrious fishing birds, which he attacks and
compels to surrender to him their finny prey. He strikes the -nil as
It wings Its way toward its nest with throat filled with food for the
hungry young, and biting the poor bird's neck compels it to disgorffe
the fish, off which the robber then feeds.
CHAPTER XX.
SUPERSTITIONS AND LEGENDS OF THE SEA.
i|| AN we marvel at the strange beliefs, the faith in unseen things,
JH f'lnciful creations born of the sailor's brain, connected
^H? with the ocean? Reflect upon the terror and mystprv wifh
^' which the first man gazed upon the sea; the untutored mind
that saw a spectre's face in every flash of lightning, and heard a mon-
ster i voice in ever^ thup^er peal, There, before his astonished gaze,
)-
■ m
318
8EA AND LAND.
lay the turbulent waters of an infinite empire over vhich mankind
had laid no claim ; a realm that stretched av;'ay to the beetlino- heav^
ens, and mingled with the vault that o'erspread the world. He peo-
pled the sky with gods, and fancied that the arch impinged upon the
sea to give them pathway to the earth ; he filled the ocean with mon-
sters, and forthwith conceived their gateway to the skies ; thus, far
away to the horizon, were ascending and descending gods, and mon-
sters who guarded their realm against the approach of man by mighty
tempests and unfathomable depths, by whirlpools, water-spouts and
supernatural hands.
" Boundless, endless and sublime,
The image of eternity, the throne
Of th' invisible."
If man took up his primeval abode on the ocean coast, he felt that
he was too near the domain of the ^spiritual, and withdrew himself
afar from it, going into the interior to establish his kingdoms. But
curiosity is a striking trait in human character, and though fear may
hold its sovereignty for a time, curiosity will at last combat it. Man-
kind gradually spread over the interior and fructified the soil by well-
directed labor, became familiar with rivers and lakes, ana, drawn on
by his natural love for exploration, continued moving toward the sea.
Here there was another pause, to contemplate the wonders which lay
within the unknown depths which traversed the illimitable bosom,
that haunted the rock-bound shore, and such as dwelt in the boilin"
clouds, or moved in the storm upon the seething surface.
LEGEND OF THE PILLARS Of HEROALES, OR HERCULES.
Though man stood upon the ocean beach and trembled before the
mystery which the v.aters contained, his curiosity was stronger than
his fears, and, following that natural bent for exploration, he at length
builded small boats and ventured to ride upon the waves. From small
vvessels larger ones grew, and from oars sails developed, and man began
ito measure the littoral, to convey products, and to carry the munitions
of war. This field of exploration was confined to the Mediterranean,
however, and when the navigators came at last to the gates of Gibraltar,
which led out into a boundless space of sea, here they baited again, be-
fore the great rocks that rose up on either side of the narrow strait, and
said- *' ThflSA fli'fi fh" nillpra nf TTorr«nloa '* Kofi<r"<^" t.tK;«1> ^rK oliln
dared tempt to sail. Beyond these pillars, to the benighted minds of
the time^ ther^ was a region .of impeoetjcable dai;k,uesS;, the jhame *f
MYSTERIES OF THE DEEP SEA.
319
fnghtful monsters possessing keen appetites for ships and their crews •
worse than this was the hand of Satan, that rose up out of these
paters to grasp any venturesome soul that dared to penetrate the
domain of horrors.
But the Mediterranean had not yet lost its terrors, for there were
Charybdis and Scylla, two frightful monsters near the island of
bicly, that allowed no vessel to pass near them without drawing it
into their voracious maws and destroying both boat and crew. On
thecoast of Sicily also lived three dreadful cyclops. who, according
toHesoid, were especially fond of human flesh, and to obtain this it
was their habit to lie in wait, concealed behind immense cliffs for
passing vessels which they destroyed by heaving great stones at them,
and then would wade out and secure the crew
The Euxine, or Black Sea, also had its terrors for the sailors,
thousands of whom, it is said, lost their lives in a vain effort to
recover the golden fleece of the ram Chrysomallus, which was repre-
sented as being guarded by a sleepless dragon. And thus a hundred
other superstitions of the ancients, preserved in the Greek and Ro
man mythology, might be given to show why progress in navigation
was so slow. °
SINGULAR ORIGIN OF OCEAN NAVIGATION-
The development of this now great industry, strange enough, is
ue not to adventurous desire, as we might reasonably suppose, but
to the enforcement of criminal laws in Egypt, by which several
offenders were doomed, as a punishment, to sail beyond the Pillars of
Hercules and accomplish the circumnavigation of Africa. Should
they succeed in this they were to receive a full pardon for their
crimes; but the sentence was supposed to be even worse than im-
mediate capital punishment. Those who were thus sent upon the
mos perilous of voyages, after an absence of several months returned
round Africa, they were at once put to .death . But a great .advance
ad been made. A ship had gone out into what .was considered the
region of darkness and the domain of Satan, and the crew finding the
ocean traiiquil and the sun cheering, besides discovering the Canary
Islands, these superstitious fears began to abate, and upon their return
-ucx. volunteered to penetrate the ocean-world still further, and thus
exploration continued.
Ihough .th^i:e .was .thei^ce.fQrth a stronger desire to ^ail .the .wjiste ojt
320
SEA AND LAND.
waters, there was only a slight abatement of belief in sea monsters;
indeed, I do not know that there was any less faith in the existence
of frightful gods and dragons than before ; but these unreal creatures
had assumed different shapes in the minds of sailors, and, of course,
lost some of their terrors.
THE FIRST SHIP AND SAILOR.
Sailors' traditions and songs always allude to Noah as the first
sailor, and to his ark as the first that was over made to float, thouffb
when the plans and dimensions of that vessel are explained, most of
them shake their heads in solemn disapproval of the idea of going to
sea in such a tub.
Many traditions concerning the Biblical Ark are reported. Berosus
and Syncellus say fragments of it were preserved in the Georwian
Mountains, and bitumen was taken from them, to be used as charms.
El Kazwini says a temple constructed 9ut of the planks of the Ark
long covered the spot where it rested, enduring until the time of the
Abassides. Epiphanius says the same. Josephus says pieces of it
were reported as existing in his day, and El Macin tells us that the
Emperor Heraclitus visited the remains of the ark on El Djudi. Ben-
jamin of Tudela says Caliph Omar carried the Ark away in 640, and
placed it in a temple on an island in the Tigris. I, Ben Abbas, com-
mentator on the Koran, says Noah was bidden to build the Ark of the
wood of a plane-tree which he had brought from India, and whose
growth in twenty years furnished abundant material. Various times
are stated in Mussulman legend as having been occupied in its con-
struction, the term extending from ten to ojio hundred and twenty
years. Oriental legends say the Ark made the tour of the world in
six months. Jewish rabbis said it was miraculously lighted up by a
shining stone. Many of the Christain fathers asserted that the wood
of the Ark was to be seen in the Koord country, and Prevoux says a
piece of it is shown in the town of Chemna, in Arabia. Rawlinson
saw bits of wood brought from Jebel Joodee, the Ararat of the modern
Armenians, by pilgrims. Marco Polo says there was a tradition in
his time that the Ark still rested on a mountain in Armenia. In 1670,
one John Stroan went up Ararat until he said he saw the Ark visible,
a speck in the distance above him.
our-crts 1 1 1 luns ur- uuuuiviuus' ukcw.
When Columbus set sail for India his crew, though experienced
sftilors, were subject to great fears, which at one time became so
MY8TKII1ES OF THE DEEP 8EA.
321
intense that they threatened mat y if a return was not at once made.
How hese anxieties >vere assu.-god and the voyage continued i8 told
,n history. A portion of this history, however, is not -mrally known
now, though ,t was freely given in several publications directly after
Columbus returned to Spain. T have already referred to the chroni-
dps of Padre Philoponus, who accompanied Corumbus. and who told
such fnghtful stories of sea-gryphons. sea-dogs, and other marine
mousters w.th which he had strange adventures, that it is a wonder
Lolumbus could gather a crew to make a second voyage.
THE PHANTOM SHIP.
Though every wave of the sea has been tracked by some vessel
until It IS as familiar as the land, and though the natural history of
jhe ocean is a science well understood, yet superstition has not wholly
est her grip upon those who, from constant familiarity with the sea
have least reason to be under her influence. '
One of the most popular superstitions, shared generally by sailors,
IS an implicit belief in the appearance of a Phantom Ship, which is a
sure precursor of fatal calamity. There is not wanting abundant
evidence in attestation of this spiritual rover of the seas, and to read
the affidavits of so many Jack-tars who swear that they have seen the
phantom, confuses our belief until we marvel at man's credulity.
Sir Walter Scott has embalmed belief in the spectral ship in the
following words :
" The phantom ship, whose form
Shor,ts like a meteor through the storm,
"When the dark scud comes driving hard
And lowered is my topsail yard, .
And canvas wove in earthly looms
No more to brave the storm prociimes;
Then 'mid the roar of sea and sky
Top and top-gallant hoisted high,
Full spread and crowded every sail
The demon frigate braves the gale, '
And well the doom'd spectators know
The harbinger of wreck and woe."
During that period in American history when there was earHp^ on
an extensive, though infamous, traffic in captured slaves fromAfrica"
the phantom ship was reported seen by several different vessels ever;
raouth, until Its haunts seemed to be established off the Cape of
mi
rjYSTEBlES OP THE DEEP SEA.
323
tit < n Tho op,gm of tH» strange illusion is „„ doubt found i^tL
f-c that under certain conditions of tho atmosphere, rS on the
3a,f,,ce o the sea loom up, „„ that a vessel so far di, an that a!
-asts are hidden by the spheriei.y of the earth, n.ay ye be 1' in ,
mverted position, apparently in the sky. Such a sfglt, witoes ed v
..iors totally unacquainted with the laws of refra^tionrru d „l7
mlly mpress tljem with a supernatural cause, and henee give Lo t,;
tlie belief m a phantom ship. "'■e give ii»o tt
WITCHCRAFT ON THE SEA.
Tn Ingolsby's Legends, and Scott's Demonology, „e will find .
.neat many stories of witcbcs whose powers pre^i ov J the sea
Aa ancient chronicle, near the middle of the fifLiith century when
:;:r^i:^:St^Si:i:htr;r;^^^
A » ^ o*^"^** wmcn siiould have been nrssenfprJ tn th^
.ew Queen of Scotland, at Her Majesty's coming to Lei h "
'«TlZ7t7^::r'rT ■"""""" "^^""" '-Wi-lous" reports
air.,ethr„nfeaor;rn'r."" ™^'' ^'"'"*^ •"" *-»-'- ^ ""O
U. r. , „ "^ULAR BELIEFS STILL PREVAILINO.
J:,.?Z:'J?r^' '" ^"''y t™'^. -hen that city was mistress of
royal^eddi;;'" ™;"''r*"^ "" ''' "'"• »" ">« ceremonial of a
. was beBbved to encourage the sea's favor into giving
^•^-,=^Timtar-,''-i,'iim!m-:.l
324
SEA AND LAND.
Venetian vessels calm water and good winds. In later times the
Greek metropolitan, ut Constantinople, annually threw a small gold
cross into tlio Bosphorus to secure the good oflSces of the sea. l<ut
even to this day the waters of the Neva River, at St. Petersburg, are
blessed with lavish display of ceremony, in which all the priests of
the city officiiite. The original object of this strange church rite —
which it has become — is lost, or at least upon inquiring among the
priests while I was in St. Petersburg I was told that it was a mere
ordinance of the church for the benefit of the poor. This, of course,
does not explain the origin, but it is believed by the Russian lower
classes that the water thus blessed is eflScacious for the cure of every
ill flesh is heir to.
Stones are used among several Pacific Island peoples to raise or
abate the wind, and also to give good luck to tishermen. A certain
kind of blue stones, resembling jude are very generally used for this
purpose, and so sacredly are they regarded that a custodian is aj)-
pointed to care for them ; also, in administering an oath, the stone is
placed in front of the witness, and Is decidedly more impressive as
an incentive to truth among the islanders than a Bible is in the pres-
ence of a Christian.
The Finlanders are very superstitious, carrying their rediculous
credulity so far that they place implicit confidence in a line about five
feet long, in which three knots are tied. This line is preserved
through great lapses of time, as not every line is supposed to possess
the same miraculous virtues. It is used wholly at sea, and to raise
the wind. When a calm prevails one of the knots is unloosened, where-
upon a good wind springs up; if rapid speed is necessary a second
knot in untied, which always bring a favoring gale, and if the third
be loosened a great storm breaks over the sea. They always carry a
stone which the steersman rubs in order to make sure of his route;
this stone prevents him from erring.
In the early days of navigation the French had r n idea that the
most effectual way of abating a storm was to offer a sacrifice, which
always took place b^* tying a midshipman to the main-mast and Hog-
ging him cruelly. This it was thought would propitiate the stonn-
king.
The Normana of Dieppe, which is novf French, entertuiacd a very
singular superstition concerning All Saint's Day, which they observed
with religious fidelity. It was their custom #o remain Indoors on
MYSTERIES or THE DEEP SEA.
325
■ijf
i r
h.itduy, bel.ev.ng that evil would befall all who ventured out, and
that ,f an attempt to tish were made the fisherman would draw in only
a net full of bones for his pains. The sailors of that port believed
, hut a „Hd.nght a spectral fune.al train passed through the streets,
headed by a hearso d.awn by eight white horses, and which contained
the souls of all the sailors that had died within the year. Few dared
to tost the truth of this singular superstition, because it was veritably
believed that anyone who even attempted to look upon the scene
would d.e w.th.n a few days after ; and, therefore, to avoid temptation
he doo.-8 and windows of every sailor's house were closely barred on
that dread night.
Fishermen, as a rule, are directed in nearly all their acts by some
quaint belief, he origm of which, in most cases, they have fo.^otten.
Those cigaged in the Baltic fisheries never go to sea with their nets be-
t .^n All Saint s a.id St. Marti.i's Day, because such sacrilege would
make them unlucky throughout the year. Easter and Palm Sundays are
similarly observed, though generally given overto festivities. Fridavs
are considered as specially unlucky days, and no vessel will start out
on a voyage on that day without unusual cause.
OFFERINQ8 TO 8EA 0008
An Eastern paper lately contained a narrative of an incident which
bok place on a sailing vessel bound from Liverpool to Australia.
M etmg with head winds, the sailors conceiv. ' hat ,he cause of the
delay was the captain's dog, and took occasion, while the captain
wasasleep, to sacrifice the animal, after which the wind immediately
changed. A similar occurrence is detailed by Bassett •
-An early traveler gives us an account of an offering made by
ers .n the Black Sea. The ship had been long wind-bound near I
ckv promontory where a deity called Semes was supposed to reside,
and t .0 men said the vessel was charmed. The second mute declared
. i I 7 ""^ ""''^ ^'* ^^'"^ ^^''^""' ^" ^ff^'-^^g- They were de-
well, when I told you that you should propitiate Semes you laughed
loluLn t r k'"'"^"? ' ''' '"""^ ''^^ '"S^^' ^ ^«^ "«t t-ken the
Ts d th *" r '''''"^ "P°" ''^ ^"^^^ y"" ^°"»<^ -ver have
passed them. It was a custom in Germany during the fiffp.nfh ar.A
.^.oeeiiih centuries to offer carp and pike to St. Ulrich, a fishe"rma"n's
tZ: ^"r/'!^^' ^'°"°'^ documents that theAlemanni and
Franks sacrificed horses at river crossings. Livonian fishermen,
ri
326
SEA AND LAND.
before putting to sea, propitiate the divinities by a libation of brandy
poured on the waters. Norwegian sailors frequently made offerings
to the water-spirits, as did Germans and Danes. A tradition exists
that a man would offer a cake to the sea, but it was frozen over ; he
cut a hole in the ice, when a hand reached out and seized the cake.
Fishermen of Folkstone formerly chose eight whitings out of ciich
boat, and made a feast to a certain St. Kumbald at Christmas. In
certain parts of Cornwall they used to set aside a certain portion of
4he catch, and leave it on the beach as an offering to Bucca, a spiijt
greatly feared."
DEITIES THAT PRESIDE OVER SHIPS.
The mythology of ancient times placed every enterprise under the
care of deities, and according to this idea every ship had its guardian
god, whoso image was displayed prominently in some part of the ves-
sel, generally at the prow. Hence coihes the modern figure-head, of
which many superstitions are narrated The general belief in de-
mons which seek to harm, and in good spirits that strive to protect
the sailors is very marked, and not a few curious features of this forn)
of sailor superstition are recorded :
"Certain demons called landeettir were believed in Denmark to
threaten ships from the shore, and a law of uleliote^ in the thir-
teenth century, required that the figure-heads then carried at the prow
must be taken off on approaching shore, so as not to frighten these
malevolent spirits. In the Issefiord, a part of Gattegat Strait, a sea-
demon formerly dwelt who stopped each ship and demanded a man
from it. But it was fcjund by consulting the priests that he could be
exorcised, and this was done by procuring the head of Pope Lucius,
beheaded at Rome, and showing it to the demon. Three-winged
fiends attacked the crew of one of Gorra's ships in his voyage to the
Isle of the West, and were only appeased by the sacrifice of three
men. In the romantic legends of William of Orange, Desrane's
head is thrown into the sea, and demons so haunt the spot that sail-
ors dare not approach it. There is an old legend that batan got nto
the ark, and tried to sink it by cutting a hole. To these accounts of
maritime demons in the middle ages, we may add a story of more
tangible shape, believed to be demoniacal in character. The Abbe
Dc v>hoisy tells the tale; - Great noise urnoiig the sailors; soino one
suddenly cried, There is the devill We must have him I Soon all is
motion ; every one took arm ; naught is seen but spikes, harpoons
MY/ll'fiRtfcS OF 1*HK i)EEP SEA.
32^
muskets, t ran myself to see the devil, and I saw a large fish which
resembled a ray, except it had two horns, as a bull. It made several
bounds, always accompanied by a white fish, which from time to time
came to attack it, and then went under it. Between its two horns it
carried a little gray fish, which one calls the pilot of the devil be-
cause it conducts it, and it sticks it when it sees a fish, and the devil
goes like an arrow.' "
LAUNOHINQ AND 0HRI8TENINQ A SHIP.
The ship is the sailor's home, in the majority of cases all the home
he has, and it is not at all remarkable that many sea superstitions
should cluster about the ves.>jel. His ship is always personified by the
sailor, and he alludes to " her" frequently in terms of endearment,
showing that to the marine mind a ship is something more than a mere
aggi'<^g"*'on of wood and iron. The safety of the sailors depending
upon the staunchness of the vessel, the latter is watched with the
most jealous care. The ceremonies at the launching of a ship are of
no small consequence to sailors, and it is said to be remarkable how
quickly the whole marine community becomes informed of incidents
believed to be unlucky. Ceremonies at the laying of the keel, or
»t the launch of the new vessel into her destined element, have always
been performed. Ancient authors state that the ship was launched
with ceremonies, first decking it with flowers and a crown of leaves,
and pouring out a libation. Similar practices prevailed during the
middle ages. The vessel was decked with flowers, purified by a priest,
anointed \vith egg and sulphur, consecrated and named for some saint,
and then launched. When a modern ship of any size or importance
is launched, it is frequently made a srala occasion, the vessel being
gayly decked with flags, and a band of music stationed on board. The
principal shores are removed, and but one or two left, to retain the
cradle in which the ship is launched upon the ways. When ready, it
is usual to break a bottle of wine over the vessel's bow, then the last
shore is removed, and the vessel glides into her destined element |
amid the cheers of the beholders and the strains of music. It was
always regarded as a bad omen should any accident happen or if the
ship refused to move, or the wine was not spilled, or especially if any
lives were lost. This must have occurred frequently during the mid-
dle ages, for we read that slaves or criminals were usually appointed
to remove the last shores. In our day, this is done by electricity, the
gentle finger of some favored maiden manipulating the key. In 1878
II
I ^
328
SEA AND LAND.
ffiPW' I
a large excursion steamer was launched at Norfolk, Va., in the pres-
ence of many invited guests, The wine was not broken over the bow,
and many predicted disaster to the vessel, and regarded the omen us
verified when the ship was lost while being towed to New York. Per-
haps it will be remembered that when a big yacht was launched late
1885, without the customary waste of a bottle of wine on her bow,
the omission was telegraphed all over the world, because it showed a
very remarkable temerity on the part of the owners.
MYSTERIOUS ISLANDS.
• Among the odds and ends of superstitions found on board ships are
some that have evidently had a basis of truth. Artificial lioatino-
islands are mentioned in several ancient histories, being really rafts
covered with earth and vegetation, and the embodiment of these
stories in tradition is still found among^ sailors of the present. "In
the Speculum Regale we are told of an island that sometimes ap-
proached the Danish coast, on which grew herbs that could cure all
ills, but no more than one person could land on it at a time, when it
would disappear for seven years, and on bringing back its burden, it
sank, and another island arose in its place similar to it. Giraldus
tells us of an island that appeared and then vanished, but finally be-
came fixed on some one landing on it. A French author, Pichot,
says there were legends among northern sailors of floating islands,
covered with grass, trees, etc., which sank in the sea at intervals.
They regard them as the abode of malicious spirits, who cause them
to rise and float about, so as to embarrass navigators. Gummers Ore,
just in sight of Stockholm, was one of these islands, and it is figured
in the charts of Bardeus, a geographer. Baron Grippenheim relates
that he long sought it in vain, but finally saw it by chance, as he
raised his head when fishing, it appearing as three points of land.
The fishermen informed him what it was, and said that its appea»'-
ance prognosticated storms and plenty of fish, and added that it was
but a reef, inhabited by sea-trolls, or, perhaps, shapes assumed by
the trolls. A floating island appears on Lake Derwentwator, in
England. Some call it the Devil's Barge, and assert that it only ap-
pears in years of calamity, by this premise deducing the fact that
England is about to be visited by the cholera. This prophecy is
strengthened by the factthat it appeared in the last great oholerayear.
It matters riot that it has also appeared since. Others (among them
the oldest inhabitants) declare that it presages three months continual
MrSfERlES OF The DfifiP SEA.
329
frost. Marco Polo tells us of islands inhabited by men alone, and of
others inhabited by women alone. Colonel Yule says many ancient
traditions of such islands were told. Mendoza heard of such in Japan,
where there is still a legendary woman's island ; and Columbus heard
the same legend of Martinique. Near Formosa lies Mauriga Sima,
said, in Japanese lore, to hav^ been sunk for the crimes of its inhabi-
tants, and yet peopled by their souls. Kempfer says the vessels and
urns which the fishermen have brought from it are sold at an enor-
mous price in China and Japan."
VIRTUES OF A CHILD'S CAUL.
One of the most extraordinary superstitions by which sailors are
influenced is their belief in the marvelous efficacy of a child's caul.
This is a very ancient superstition, frequently mentioned by the old
writers. Grose says: "It is deemed lucky to be born with a caul,
or membrane, over the face. This caul is esteemed an infallible pre-
servative against drowning. * * * According to Crysostom, the
midwives frequently sold it for m'>gic use." Ceesar is said to have
been brought into the world, .r aturaliy as he was, with a caul over
his head, which presaged th' -ness he was to attain.
Charles Dickens, referring to this quaint belief, in writing of him-
self, says: «'I was born with a caul, which was advertised for sale
in the newspapers at the low price of fifteen guineas"— seventy-five
dollars. Similar advertisements may be occasionally seen in the
English papers even to-Uay, though the caul is not nearly so highly
esteemed as formerly.
Previous to the discovery of the compass, or rather before it be-
came known to the mariners of Europe, there were some curious
methods in vogue for guiding ships, not the least singular of which
was the use of crows. These birds being considered wise beyond
their nature were taken on board of every ship and loosed when the
vessel got beyond the sight of land ; the direction which they steered
Tvas taken as an infallible indication of the quarter in which the
nearest land lay. If, perchance, the crow made a fatal mistake, hi^,
misery was pretty certain to meet with company, for the ship fol-
lowed with a blind truthfulness.
Denis de Montfort, some of whose creations we have described in
the chapter devoted to sea-serpents, delighted in putting in print the
wild, weird fantasies which ever and anon disturbed his brain, and
these phantasms were accepted by the people with a faith and solem-
330
SEA AND LAND.
iiity which well illustrates the ignorance of the times. He told of a
monster so immense that the largest whale was but a mere pigmy in
comparison; this huge creature he represented as sometimes floatincr
upon the surface of the sea, where, being covered with marine plants'
and barnacles, it was often mistaken for a floating island. Olaus
Magnus not only confirmed these wonderful stories, but was particuliir
in his description of the animal, wh 3h he pronounced to be a gigantic
cetacean, to which ships not infrequently anchored under the false
impression that its back v/as firm ground. He even went so far as to
represent that sajlors sometimes built fires upon the monster's back to
cook their meals, without disturbing its slumbers.
MARVELOUS BIRD- BEARING TREES.
At first thought it would appear fehat human credulity could hardly
compass more wonderful things than Magnus' cetacean, but a little
readmg convinces us that the faith of a sailor surpasses the concep-
tions even of Montforc and his cola^orators of mysticism.
Sebastian Munster is the .author of a treatise on cosmography,
which, for extraordinary statements, transcends the Apocrypha. For
a long time great mystery was attached to the origin of certain water-
birds ; for example, the petrel was supposed to be of tireless wing,
and never to rest on shore. For these Munster conceived a theory
at once original and wonderful, yet there were not wanting plenty of
persons to accept it with implicit confidence. He maintained that all
such birds as had not been discovered layii^ their eggs near the sea
were the product of certain trees which grow in the marshes or on
the coast of the ocean. Those who accepted this theory afiirmed
that there was a species of tree growing on the Orkney Islands which
bor« fruit resembling in size and shape a wild duck's egg; this fruit,
the^ declared, opened at maturity, and from them escaped little
ducks. In a description of this interesting product of the animal
from the vegetable, Munster says:
"We find trees in Scotland which produce a fruit enveloped in
leaves, and when it drops into the water at a suitable time, it takes
life tnd is turned into a live bird, which they call a tree-bird.'^
Aldrovandus, the most learned ornithologist of the Kenaissance,
propagated these ridiculous fables in his great work, and not only so
asserted, but even presented engravings, as did also his prototypes,
Munster and Magnus, of the bird-bearing trees.
^ J
MYSTERIES OF THE DEEP SEA.
sai
A writer mentions si singular ceremony which was performed a short
time ago by some Scandinavian tishermen to bring «xood iuck. The
fishing chanced to be extremely poor during the season, which was
then more than half spent, and, to change this evil condition, seized
upon a cooper, whom they stripped of his clothes and then placed
on him a heavy woolen shirt, which they stuck full of burrs. Thus
scantily attired and presenting a ludicrous appearance, he was con-
veyed through the town in a hand-barrow, with all the people of the
place at his heels shouting like so many bedlamites. It is not told
whether or not this barbaric ceremony brought the fishermen good
luck.
DEAD BODIES ON SHIP- BOARD.
A dead body in a ship is still considered to be a magnet which
attracts calamity ; this belief is not only shared by those who go
before the mast, but exercises great influence even among captains of
our ocean palaces. So prevalent is this base superstition that when a
passenger dies at sea it is entirely discretionary with the captain
whether the body be kept on board and carried to its destination, or
immediately committed to the waves. So recent as the summer of
1885, a case illustrating this dread of dead bodies on ship-board was
developed under the following circumstances: A gentleman in the
lust stages of consumption engaged passage, with his wife, on one of
our finest ocean steamers from Liverpool to New York, this country
being his home When in mid-ocean the patient was seized with a
hemorrhage which speedily terminated his life, and ministering
friends at once prepared the body, at the widow's solicitation, by
embalming, for the remainder of the journey. Scarcely had this
been done when the captain learned of the man's death, and he imme-
diately ordered it cast into the ^a. The widow was shocked at this
outrageous order, but her protestations availed nothing; being
wealthy, she offered the captain a large sum of money to allov the
body to remain, and then, with cries and heart-breaking entreaties,
begged that she might keep lior dead and consign it to the precious
earth beside some of her children. The captain was inexorable, and
even used some force in seizing the dead bodj' and throwing it into
the waves. This officer was hardly so brutal as he appeared, for he
was really actuated by a superstitious fear that if the body were
allowed to remain on board some dreadful calamity would befall the
ship.
I; 'J
8EA AI^D LAND.
As a fitting conclusion to this brief description of some of the super-
stitions peculiar to seamen, I may mention a novel theory recently
put forth by a man, sage, or lunatic, in New York. This marvelous
genius maintains with much display of argument, that the world is a
living body whose respiration is proved by the tides ; the trees and
vegetation are this creatures' hirsute adornment ; the volcanoes are
chronic ulcerations on its body, and the winds indicate the character
of its exercise, being calm when the animal is quiet, and violent whtMi
it is performing some duty requiring much exercise of vigor. Silly
as this theory is, it is not more so than a thousand other absurd super-
stitions which millions of credulous beings believe.
ANCIENT BELIEF IN THE MERMAID.
The verity of mermen and mermaids s^ems to have been thoroughly
established in eailier centuries, if we accept the evidence of the most
celebrated writers and naturalists of those ages, who, however, looked
at nature through spectacles very ' different from those which are
adopted to modern eyes.
Shakespeare, who gave fancy wings, alludes to these pleasing crea-
tures in the following lines :
" I heard a mermaid on a dolphin'o back
Uttering such dulcet and harmonious breath
That the rude sea grew civil at her song."
And again:
" Who would be a mermaid fair ?
Singing alone, combing her hair,
Under the sea."
In a well known work entitled the *' Speculum Regale," published
in the twelfth century, which was regarded at the time as being one
of the greatest scientitic issues, occurs the following description of a
mermaid, which was evidently given to set at rest all doubts on the
subject :
'*A monster is seen also near Greenland, like a woman as far down
as the waist ; long hands and soft hair, the neck and head in all re-
spects like that of a human being. The hands seem to people to be
long, and the fingers not to be parted, but united by a web like that
on the feet of water-birds. From the waist downward this monster
resembles a fish, with scales, tail and fin. This prodigy is supposed
to show itself more especially before heavy storms. The Lahit of
this creature is to dive frequently, and come up again to the surface
I
-' 1 I
^
MYSTERIEB OF THE DEEP SEA.
333
!
with fishes in its hands. When sailors see it playing with the fish, or
throwing them toward the ship, they fear they are doomed to lose
several of the crew; but when it casts the fish, or, turning from the
vessel, flings them away from her, the sailors take it as a good omen
that they will not suffer loss in an impending storm. The monster
has a very horrible face, with
broad brow and piercing eyes, a
wide mouth and a double chin."
More circumspect than this
statement, however, appears a
description recor'led by the
Jesuits of India, and made a
part of their ecclesiastical pro-
ceedings, wherein t is asserted
that seven of these wonderful
creatures, both male and
female, were captured on the
Ceylon coast and thence taken
to Goa, where the physician to
the viceroy carefully dissected
their. . This learned man, it is
claimed, found that '♦ their in-
ternal structure was in all
respects similar to that of the
human."
In the light of a more ample
knowledge of God's creatures,
it may be said that a dissection
of either the dolphin, dugong,
lumantin or manatee will show
that their internal parts are
almost identical with those of a
human. Another claim to the likeness which the dugong bears to a
human is found in the fact that the animal gives expression to its grief
in tears. The common people of Sumatra, where the dugong abounds,
ascribe great virtue to the tears thus shed, and bottle them in the
belief that they act as a charm to secure affection.
The remains of a species of Stellerus hwe been found which bear
a much closer resemblance to a human than any that are at present
FABLED MERMAID AND MERMAN.
I
334
BEA AND LAND.
known to exist. The creature is now supposed to be extinct, as no
living specimen has been met with sinpe about the middle of the last
century.
Shakespeare alludes to the superstition which was atone time very
general among sailors, that to see a mermaid swimming away from a
vessel foreboded disaster, in the following line put iii^the mouth of
Glocester, in " 3d King Eiohard III : "
" I'll drown more sailors than the merman shall."
But in the '« Comedy of Errors " the great poet pictures the beauty
and divine grace of these exquisite creatures as follows:
" O, train me not, sweet mermaid, with thy note
To drown me in thy sister's flood of tears ;
Sing, syren, for thyself, and I will dote.
Bpread o'er the silver waves thy golden hairs,
And as a bed I'll take thee, and there lie ;
And in that glorious supposition think
He gains by death, that hath such means to die."
In the reign of Queen Elizabeth all England went fairly mad over
queer specimens brought up from the sea. There were more than a
score of different entertainments going on at one time in London, the
conspicuous features of which were sea-monsters, which the mounte-
banks were advertising as marine men. So great was this rage that
Shakespeare has referred to it in his " Winter's Tale," where^Auto-
lycus, the ballad singer, is made to say :
" Here's another ballad of a fish that appeared upon the coast on
Wednesday, the four-score of April, forty thou8 id fathoms above
water, and sung this ballad against the hard hearts of maids. It is
thought she was a woman, and was turned into a cold fish, for she
would not exchange flesh with one that loved her. The ballad is very
pitiful and as true."
PEOPLE OF THE SEA.
Lieutenant Bassett has collected together, in a book called "Le-
gends and Superstitions of the Sea," the quaint stories, beliefs and
customs of sailors and coast-dwelling people, that were current hun-
dreds of years ago, as well as those now common, in which there is
much to amuse the reader. Kc shows that the belief in mermaids,
cities under the deep, water-cows, horses, sheep, dogs, fairies, trolls —
and, in shcrt, every phase of fact and fable on land has its counter-
MYSTERIES OF THE DEEP SEA.
335
part in the sea— is not only implicit even in our day, but, from the
very nature of things, is ineradicable.
On the subject of sea-humans Bassett says :
"The idea of creatures beneath the wave, possessed of a human
form with fish-like extremities, is not a modern one. Aside from the
many fish-gods of antiquity, we are told that a creature like a woman
inhabits the Island of Ceylon, and iElian assures us there are whales
formed like satyrs. Tritons and sirens were also figured half fish in
ancient representations. Demetrius says the Western islanders who
died in hurricanes were mermaids. Pliny says they came on board
ships at night and sunk them, and that Malos, making free with a sea-
maiden, lost his head."
Pliny further says: «« Several distinguished persons of equestrian
rank have assured me that they themselves have seen, off the coast of
Gades, a merman whose body was of a human form. He was accus-
tomed to appear on board ships in the night time, and the part on
which he stood gradually subsided, as if sunk do\^n by his weight.
"The Nereids, daughters of the Oceanic Doris, and of Nereus, and
mothers of many heroes, were at first imagined beautiful maidens.
A mural painting in Pompeii shows such a one. Later they were given
the fish-tail, thus becoming mermaids.
"Achelous, brother of Nereus, and Calliope, were parents of the
sirens, and as we have seen, they, too, were gradually transformed
from human-faced birds to fish-tailed maidens. So also with the
Tritons, offspring of Neptune and Amphitrite, who, at first regarded
as men in form, were afterward given the fish-tail and monstrous
form usually seen in art.
" In the middle ages, stories of mermaids increased, and their char-
acteristics were definitely settled.
" Arabian writers often speak of them. El-Kazwini says the Arabs
believed that certain fish-men lived in the Indian Ocean, and ate
drowned men. Abou Muzaine says a Siren named the Old Man of the
Sea often spoke an unknown tongue. A similar animal caught a
woman and married her, and their son spoke the language of both.
Another similar animal, the Old Jew, came to the surface in the Medil
terrauean, on Friday night, and played about ships all the Jewish
Sabbath. Ibnala Bialsaths says sailors in his time caught on foreign
shores marine women, with brown skin and black eyes, speaking a
strange tongue. Ibn-Batuta. an old Arab writer, says he saw fish in
the Persian Gulf with a human head as large as that of a child.
I
3dG
SEA AND LAXO.
** Theodore de Gaza saw several Sirens on board ship, in the Pelopon-
nessiiin Sea, which were put back in the water, after being Icept on
board some time. They were beautiful maidens. George of Trebi-
zonde saw one in the open sea. Gyllius says the skin of sen- men
taken in Dalmatia is so tough that it is used to make saddle coveia.
♦♦ In the Nibelungeii Lieb, Hagen steals a mermaid's garments, but
she foretold him good luck if ho would give them back again. An-
other story is that a mermaid told Hagen's fortune, but he, dissatis-
fied with it, cut off her head, which mysteriously joined the body
again, and a storm thereupon ensued."
WONDERFUL STORIES OF MERMAIDS.
Wieland, or Waylund, a mythical Vulcan of the middlo ages, is said
to have des'^-ended from a mermaid. Sp the French Counts of Lu-
sigiian, ancient kings of Cypress and Jerusalem, still claim as their
ancestor and founder a water-maiden, Melusina, whom an ancestor
saw bathing in a fountain, and whom he wedded.
♦' The romances of the middle age often speak of them. Such are
the maidtMis of the Rheingold, celebrated in Wagner's melodious
strains. In the romantic legends of William of Orange a mermaid is
cauglit by a cavalier, but liberated. In gratitude therefor she saves
her captor, when his ship is wrecked. When mermaids appeared
' then began they all to sing so high, so low, so sweet, and so clear,
that the birds leave off flying, and fish leave off swimming.'
•' The ballads of Chivalry extolled their beauty. Doolin says, of a
beautiful woman, ' I thought she was an angel, or a sea-siren.'
*' In a Sicilian tale, a maiden treacherously thrown into the sea, is
carried off by a merman, and chained to his tail. A similar story
is told by Gubernatis, but the mermaid is here liberated, her brother
feeding the siren meat, while seven blacksmiths sever the chain.
♦' These mermaids particularly desire a human soul — a thing denied
to them by the churchmen. Paracelsus says: ' So it follows that
they woo men, to make them industrious and homelike, in the same
way as a heathen wants baptism, to save his soul ; and thus they
create so great a love for men, that they are with men in the same
union.' This of the maidens, bat mermen were not so friendly,
often dragging people down, like Nick.
in "The Eastern Travels of John of Hesse" (1389), we read;
** We came to a smoky and stony mountain, where we heard sirens
singing, proprie met maids, who draw ships into danger by their songs.
We saw there many horrible monsters, and were in great fear."
MYSTERIES Or THE DEEP SEA. 337
In 1187 a merman is said to have been taken near Suffolk. England
" But the .coounta of the early appearances of the mermaid are
,„o,e c,rou,„stant,al ,„ norther,, countries. Here, where Nick drat "ed
people down, whe,e E.,u snckcd the breath of the drowned,'':„d
where the Stromkarl and the Kelpie flourished, the mermaid was often
,ee,,, s,tt,ng on he rooks, combing her hair, and predicting disaster"
to the manner. 6 «'oani/ciH
Icelaudie chronicles relate that three sea-monsters we,e seen near
Greenland The first, seen by No,.wegian sailors in the water, had
the body of a man, w,th broad shouldcs, stumps of arms, and a
,K„n ed head. Heavy storms succeeded ils appeaia. e. The second
was hke a woman to the waist, with la,g„ breasts. : Weled hair!
»„dla,ge hands o,, the stumpy arms, wel bed lite a duck's foot. I
held fish in its hands and ate them.
We also read in theCh,oniele of Sto,laform„s, of the Hafstrambr •
It rescnbles a mau f,-om the neck, in its head, its nose, and its
hroat, except that the head is extraordina.ily high, and elo,^gated in
front. It had shoulders like a man, and attached to the. two stu,«p"
of arms without hands. The body tape,-s below, but it has nTver
been seen how ,t ,s formed below the waist." He also describes the
Margnguer. " It ,s formed like a woman, as far as the waist It ha!
Uaige bosom, thick hair, large hands, with fingers webbed like tZ
foot of a goose, attached to its stumpy arms."
This pleasing fiction of creatures half-human, living in the sea is
almost universal Not only do we find it amongpeoplf lup;i ahe
~.t, but ,t ,s also common among barbaria„rsuch as the trites „f
Central Africa and the North American Indians. Those having never
«ea he ocean confine the mermaidsof their belief to streams^o ""
ter, spirits which we denominate Nereids and water-nvmphs This
niversality of belief, stretching round the world, is suikiigly sin
iar, and can possibly be explained by no other theory fan tZt
advanced by Donnelly, who accounts for the identitv of sLZ 1 1!
"pou iiie Atlantis Uoutment. onnfi n trr-^it i^a — „.-i .
whenoe^he race radiated, after its submergence, which was ^;;ur
338
BEX AND LAND.
OR088INO THE LINE.
A singular ceremony, Iho origin of which has been lost in the great
lapse of time since its first practices, takes place on board every sliip
that crosses the equatorial lino. That it was originally intended as a
propitiation to the god Neptune cannot be doubted, especially since,
even at this day, a portion of the ceremony consists in calling upon
the great sea-god. It ms degenerated in liiose later days to a kinf!
of buffoonery, or, to use a collegiate expression,*' hazing," since the
occasion is seized upon to initiate new sailors.
Little, in his "Twenty Years on the Ocean," refers to the cere-
mony of ** crossing the line " on his first voyage as a sailor, in the
following language :
«' • * * After this the wind sprang up moderately from south-
southeast, when we braced up our yards on the larboard tack, and as
we expected to cross the line the next night, preparations were being
made for the reception of old Neptune, such as dressing two of the
oldest sailors to personate him and his wife, throwing over a tar-
barrel on fire, and hailing the sea-god from on board. All this buf-
foonery was performed after dark, and so managed as to be kept
secret from the green hands. And here I must not omit stating that
this foolery was sanctioned by the captain and officers, very much to
their mortification afterwards, as the scene of confusion which en-
sued had liked to have closed with a mutiny.
«' On the next morning the play began; the green hands were con-
fined to the forecastle, one at a time being sent up blind-folded, who
was then received by his majesty of the sea, and the operation of
shaving commenced. The lather consisted of slush mixed with the
dii'ty water of the grindstone tub ; the razor was a piece of old hoop-
iron ; the face being well besmeared with this lather, the shaving
commenced, during which his majesty puts some interrogatories, such
as, * Do you intend to become a member of my family, and a faithful
subject of my realm?' etc. When the mouth is opened to give an-
swer, it is crammed full of odoriferous lather. This done, he is well
scraped with the hoop and douched with salt-water, and then let off
to enjoy the remainder of the farce.
"I recollect, when they were about to cram the delicious lather
into uiy moutn, i sirucis, iiiu m:iii wuw uciu iv, Suvt lu r..-.- ,r,,.-i~ ii--
bandage fell from my eyes, and I discovered the whole trick. A
scene of confusion here took place; the green hands all sided together,
MYSTERIES OF THE DEEP SEA. 339
•nd determined not to submit to tl,o operation, and tl,e old sailor,
attempting to force us to yield, i riot tool< place, which was not wir
out much difficulty quelled by the officers." not with-
Of all ales told by the sweet singers of the world, none exceed in
exqsite beauty, sontunent and rhythm, that of the -. Ancient Marr.
ner, wh.ch has made the fame of it, author, Samuel T. Coleridge
as perpetual as that of Shakespeare himself. My excuse for ntro
dacn,g .t here ,s two-fold, viz.- It describes one of the most gen-
or« and tenacous super.,titions connected with life on the .ea, anrin
a<d,t,„n to th>s ,K,culiar relevancy to our subject, the pc-em i so full
of sweetness and beauty that it, republication .,; .ys subserves an
eKellent purpose because that which contrUutes to'^our hZ „e"
and culture cannot bo too often repented '"Ppmess
follTr^' '° '''''■S''"''"^ '"'<' i- «"». "oy ^^ briefy described as
An old sailor, lately returned from a disastrous voyage the iuci
dents of w ch are the burden of his recital, meets th^ef gent emen
who are on then- way to a wedding-feast, one of whom he detains and
c„n,pds to listen to his tale. The Ancent Mariner proceed to t^ll
, and, or how the ship on which he sailed was drawn by a storm toward
he South Pole and ,nto a region of ice and fearful sounds, where „„
hfe w», to be seen, untilan albatross appeared, which, being a bird of
good omen, followed the shipas it returned northward. ThTs bird wL
a^y ed from the hands of the crew until the Ancient Mariner si'
.t wth h,s cross-bow, believing that it was the cause of the fo. and
m,3t wh,ch continnally surrounded the ship. His shipmates .t sTst
md outagan,st this fearful act, but as the fog soon after Ifted
% justified the act, and thus became accomplices in the or me ^
fair breeze continued with the ship until the equator was reached
when the wind suddenly ceased and the vessel lay becnlmTd!
A spirit had followed the ship from the time thealbatross was shot
wiuiming in the wake of the luckless craft. •< nine fatho.rdeep!-'
0 bring vengeance upon the crew for their s.acrilegious act. The
bpmates now sought to throw all the guilt upon the Ancient Mari!
.er,_^as a sign whereof, they hung the dead bird around his neck.
a si^ »Z T "^ "^ "'"" '""'' "''"-'" ">« ^'"='^''t Mariner beholds
Ldrb„™r„,°?' '/,;' ''PP'''"«='>«« nearer he believes it to be a ship,
.•"daburst of joy follows, but it is brief, for the wonder succeeds how
340
SEA AND LAND.
a shi** ould move so rapidly without either wind or tide. As it ap-
proa, .ds, the Ancient Mariner discovere that it is a phantom ship, on
which are seen a spectre woman and her death-mate. The two spirits
are seen casting dice for the ship's crew, and the one known asLife-in
Death wins the Ancient Mariner. Soon after, the crew begin to die
of thirst, one after another falling down, but the Ancient Mariner
still survives, to suffer the pangs of a living death.
At this point in the old sailor's narrative the wedding-guest thinks
it is a spirit that is talking, but he is assured that it is not so, and the
Ancient Mariner proceeds to relate the horrors of his penance.
By the light of the moon the sailor behoK j God's creatures of the
great calm, their beauty and happiness, and he blesses them in his
heart, whereat the spell which binds him begins to break. lie tells
how the rains came and refreshed him, where upon strange sights are
seen in the sky, and portentious soun*ds break the weird stillness of
the surrounding calm. These ominous manifestations i)roceed from a
troop of angelic spirits which come to the call of the guardian saint.
The lonesome spirit from the South Pole propels the ship to the
line in obedience to the angelic troop, but still requires vengeance.
The Polar spirit's fellow demons, the invisible inhabitants of the ele-
ment, take part in his wrong — which is the crime of killing the alba-
tross, the sacred bird — and two of them relate that penance long
and heavy for the Ancient Mariner has been accorded to the Polar
Spirit who returned southward.
The Mariner is now cast into a trance, for the troop of angels cause
the vessel to drive northward faster than human life can endure. But
the supernatural motion is arrested ; the Mariner awakes and his pen-
ance begins anew.
The curse is finally expiated, and the Ancient Mariner beholds his
native country, whereupon the angelic spirits leave the dead bodies
and appear in their own beautiful forms.
The hermit of the wood approaches the ship, when she suddenly
sinks, but the Ancient Mariner is saved in tho Pilot's boat. Ho en-
treats the hermit to shrieve him, but ever and anon throughout his
future life an agony constrains him to go from land to land to tell
his tale, and to teach, by his owl example, love and reverence to all
MYSTERIES OF THE DEEP 8BA.
341
By TH7 LONO GREY BEARn AND QutttERING E'E.
Now WHEREFORa STOPP'ST THOU ME?
U2
SEA AND LAND.
THE ANCIENT MARINER.
PAET I.
I^TffT is an ancient mariner,
And he stoppeth one of three,
" By thy long grey beard and glittering eye,
Now wherefore stopp'st thou me ?
" The bridegroom's doors are opened wide,
And I am next of kin ;
The guests are met, the feast is set :
Mayst hear the merry din."
He holds him with his skinny hand,
" There was a ship," quoth he.
Hold off I unhand me, grey-beard loon I '*
Eftsoons his hand dropt he.
fie holds him with his glittering eye —
The wedding-guest stood still.
And listens like a three-years' child :
The Mariner hath his will.
The wedding.guest sat on a stone;
He cannot choose but hear;
An^ thus spake on that ancient man,
The bright-eyed Mariner.
The ship was cheered, the harbour cleared,
Merrily did we drop
Below the kirk, below the hill,
Below the light-house top.
The sun came up upon the left,
Out of the sea came he ;
And he shone bright, and on the right
Wont down into the sea.
Higher and higher every day.
Tin over the mast at noon —
The wedding-guest here beat his Dreasl^
For he heard the loud bassoon.
MYSTERIES OF THE DEEP SEA.
343
The Wedding GueJ- sat on a stone j
He cannot chuse but hear.
844
SEA AND LAND.
The bride hath paced into the ha',
Eed as a rose is she ;
Nodding their heads before her goes
The merry minstrelsy.
The wedding-guest he beat his breast,
Yet he cannot choose but hear ;
And thus spako on that ancient man,
The bright-eyed Mariner.
And now the storm-blast came, and he
Was tyrannous and strong :
He struck with his o'ertaking wings,
And chased us south along.
With sloping masts, and dipping prow,
As who pursued with yell and blow
Still treads the shadow of his foe.
And forward bends his head,
The ship drove fast, loud roared the blast,
And southward aye we fled.
And now there came both mist and snow,
And it grew wond'rous cold ;
And ice, mast high, came floating by,
As green as emerald.
And through the drifts, the snowy clifts
Did send a dismal sheen :
Nor shapes of men nor beasts we ken —
The ice was all between.
The ice was here, the ice was there,
The ice was all around ;
It cracked and g.'owled, and roared and howled,
Like noises in a swound.
At length did cross an albati'oss.
Through the fog it came ;
As if it had been a Christian soul,
We hailed it in God's name.
It ate the food it ne'er had eat.
And round and round it flew
The ice did split with a thunder-fit:
The helmsman steered us through I
MYSTERIES OF THE DEEP SEA.
345
AND NOW THERE CAME BOTH MIST AND SNOW.
AND IT GREW WONDROUS COLD.
&46
SEA AND LAND.
w
* ^ .;:. i
And a good sonfc Ind sprung up behind,
The albatross di^ Jcllow,
And every day, for food or play,
Oamo to the mariners' hollo !
In mist or cloud, on mast or shroud,
It perched for vespers nine j
Whiles all the night, thro' fog-smoke white,
Glimmered the white moon-shine.
" God save thee, ancient mariner !
From the fiends that plague thee thus. —
Why look'st thou so ?" — With my cross-bow
I shot the albatross I
^HE sun now rose upon Iht i ijt ht,
j^. Out of the sea came he.
Still hid in mist, and on tao loft
Went down into the sea.
And the good s< uth-wind still blew behind,
But no sweet bird did follow,
^OY any day, for food or play,
Came to the mariners' hollo 1
And I had done a hellish thing,
• And it wot'ld work 'em woe ;
For all averred, I had killed the bird
Thfit made the breeze to blow ;
Ah, wretch ! said they, the bird to slay
That made the breeze to blow.
Nor dim nor red, like God's own head,
The glorious sun uprist;
Then all averred, I had killed the bird
That brought the fog and mist.
'Twas right, said they, such birds to slay
That bring the fog and mist.
The fair breeze blew, the wh'*e foam flew,
The furrow followed free j
We were the first that evcx' buibi.
Into that silent sea.
mrstERtfiS OF THE DEEP SEA.
347
m
The ice was here, the ice was there,
The ICa WAS ALI. AROUND,
348
8£A AND LAND.
;.' '11
Dovni dropt the breeze, the sails dropt down,
Twas sad as sad could be ;
And we did speak only to break
The silence of the sea I
All in a hot and copper sky,
The bloody sun, at noon,
Right up above the mast did stand,
No bigger than the moon.
Day after day, day after day.
We stuck, nor breath nor motion;
As idle as a painted ship
Upon a painted ocean.
»
Water, water, every where.
And all the boards did shrink j
Water, water, every where,
Nor any drop to drink.
The very deep did rot : O Christ I
That ever this should bej
Yea, slimy things did crawl with legs
Upon the slimy sea.
About, about, in reel and rout.
The death-fires danced at night
The water, like a witch's oils.
Burnt green, and blue, and white.
And some in dreams assured were
Of the spirit that plagued so ;
Nine fathom deep he had followed us
From the land of mist and snow.
And every tongue, through utter drought.
Was withered at the root ;
We could not speak, no more than if
We had been choked with soot.
Ah ! well-a-day ! what evil looks
Had I from old and young I
Instead of the cross, the albatross
About my neck was hong.
HTST£UI£S or THE DEEP SEA,
848
■^V^
It ate the Fo---- it NE'ER HAD EAT.
■aJ
350
fiEA AND LAND.
PART in.
-iHERE passed a weary time. Each throat
^ Was parched, and glazed ea* h eye,
A weary time 1 a weary time f
How glazed each weary er \
When looking wcstwaro, i beheld
A something in the sky.
At first it seemed a little speck,
And then it seemed a mistj
It moved and moved, and took at last
A certain dhapt^ I wist.
A speck, a mist, a shape I wist I
And still it noiired and neared ;
As if it dodge. I a water-sprite,
It plunged, and tacked, and veered.
With throavs unslaked, with black lips baked
We could nor laugh nor wail ;
•Through utter drought all dumb we stood,
I bit my arm, I sucked the blood.
And cried, A sail; a sail !
With throats unslaked, with black lips baked,
Agape they heard me call;
Gramercy ! they for joy did grin,
And all at once their breath drew in
As they were drinking all.
See I see I (I cried), she tacks no more I
Hither, to work us weal,
Without a breeze, without .1 ude,
She steadies with upright keel I
The western wave was all a-flu<xie,
The day was well nigh done !
Almost upon the western wave
Eested the broad bright sun ;
When that strange shape drove suddenly
Betwixt us and th;^ sun.
And strniorht the sun was flecked with bars
(Heaven a mother send us grace I)
As if tisrough a dungeon-grate he peered
With broad and burning face.
MYSTJiKXKB OJi^ THE DEEP 8fiA
351
• • • • WITH MY CROSS-BOW
1 SHOT THE ALBATROSS.
iiiii
352
M r
■ ti Jf. ■ rl
SEA AND LAND.
Alas I (thonght I, and my heart boat loud)
How fast she noars and ncars !
Aro thoHo hor sails that glance in the sun,
Like restless gossamores?
Are those hor ribs through which the sun
Did peer, as through the grate f
And is that woman all her crrwf
Is that a Death ? and are there two ?
Is Death that Woman's mate ?
Hor lips were red, her looks were free,
Her locks wore yellow as gold :
Her skin was as w hite as leprosy,
The Night-mare Life-in-Doath was she,
Who thicks men's blood with cold.
The naked hulk alongside came,
And the twain were casting dice;
* The game is done ! I've won ! I've won ! "
Quoth she, and whistles thrice.
The sun's rim dips ; the stars rush out:
At one stride comes the dark ;
With far-heard whisper, o'er the sea,
Off shot the spectre-bark.
We listened and looked sideways up ;
Fear at my heart, as at a cup,
My life blood seemed to sip;
The stars were dim, and thick the night,
The steersman's face by his lamp gleamed white,
Prom the sails the dew did drip —
Till clomb above the eastern bar
The horned moon, with one bright star
Within the nether tip.
One after one, by the star-dogged moon.
Too quick for groan or sigh.
Each turned his face with a ghastly pang.
And cursed mo with his eye.
Pour times fifty living men,
(And I heard nor sigh nor groan)
With heavy thump, a lifeless lump,
They dropped down one by one.
MYbXiSUIES OF THB DEEP 8EA.
353
-0^4^'
'^S^
ABOUT. ABOUT. IN REEL AND ROUT.
-..„ DEATH -rlRES DAKCED AT NIGHT.
Ida
854
8EA AND LAND.
The souls did from their bodies fly,
They fled to bliss or wo I
And every l,ou1, it passed mo by
Like the whizz of my cross-bow I
PART IV.
"j| PEAR thee, Ancient Mariner !
I foar thy skinny hand,
And thou art long, and lank and brown,
As is the ribbed sea-sand !
I fear thee and thy glittering eye,
And thy skinny hand, so brown." —
Foar not, fear not, thou wedding guest !
This body drops not down.
Alone, alone, all, all alone.
Alone on a wide, wide sea !
And never a saint took pity on
My soul in agony.
The merry men so beautiful !
And they all deaJ aid lie j
And a thousand thousand slimy things
Liveu jn : and so did I.
I looked upon the rotting sea.
And drew my eyes away :
I looked upon the rotting dock,
And there the dead rc'^n lay.
I looked to heaven, and tried to pray
But or over a prayer had gush't,
A wicked whisper came and made
My heart as dry as duat.
I closed my lids, and kept thom close.
And the bal's like pulses beat.
For the sky and the soa, and the sea and the sky
Lay like a cloud on my weary eye.
And the dead were at my feet.
The cold sweat melted from their limbs,
iT^-'t x\rh li'-rl j, tr^rs. iilt^ iixc\ ,
The look with which they looked on me
Had never passed away.
MTSTERIES OF THE DEEP SEA.
355
^„!f^°«' ^ MIST, A SHAPE I WEffNf
And stili, it mea^"?- -
356
SEA AND LAXD.
An orphan's curso would drag to hell
A spirit from on high ;
But oh I more homble than that
I9 the curse in a dead man's eye.
Seven daySj seven nights, I saw that curse.
And yet I couJd not die.
The moving moon wont up the sky,
And no where did abide ;
Softly she was going up,
And a star or two beside.
Her beams bemocked the sultry main,
Like April hoar-frost spread ;
But where the ship's huge shadow lay,
The charmed water burnt alway
A still and awful red. «
Beyond the shadow of the ship,
I watched the water-snakes :
They moved in tracks of shining white.
And when they reared, the elfish light
Pell off in horny flakes.
Within the shadow of the ship
I watched their rich attire :
Blue, glossy green, and velvet black,
They coiled and swam ; and every track
Was a flash of golden fire.
O happy living things ! no tongue
Their beauty might declare :
A spring of love gushed from my heart,
And I blessed them unaware :
Sure my kind saint took pity on me,
And I blessed them unaware.
The self-same moment I could pray ;
And from my neck so free
The albatross fell otf, and sunk
Like lead into the sea.
PAKT V.
^iH sleep I it is a gentle thing.
Beloved from polo to pole I
To Mary Queen the praise bo given.
She sent the gentle sleep from Heaven,
That slid into my soul.
MYSTBftlfiS OF THE DEfil. SEA.
357
QUOTH TaVl.^n'''^ ^^ ^°^' ^'^^ ^ONI
WUOTH SHE. AND WHISTLES THRICE.
MB
SfeA AND LAND.
. i
K i
The silly buckets on th^ deck,
That had so long remained,
I dreamt that they were filled with dew,
And when I woke it rained.
My lips were wet, my throat was cold,
My garments all were dank j
Sure I had drunken in my dreams,
And still my body drank.
I moved and could not feel my limbs
I was so light — almost
I thought that I had died in sleep,
And was a blessed ghost.
And soon I heard a roaring wind j
It did not come a-near ; \
But with its sound it shook the sails
That were so thin and sere.
The upper air burst into life,
And a hundred fire-flags sheen j
To and fro they were hurried about,
And to and fro, and in and out,
The wan stars danced between. ^
And the coming wind did roar more loud,
And the sails did sigh like sedge j
And the rain poured down from one black cloud,
The moon was at its edge.
The thick black cloud was cleft, and still
The moon was at its side ;
Like waters shot from some high crag,
The lightning fell with never a jag,
A river steep and wide.
The loud wind never reached the ship
Yet now the ship moved on!
Beneath the lightning and the moon
The dead men gave a groan.
They groaned, they stirred, they all uprose.
Nor
spakfi. nnr moved their eves i
It had been strange even in a dream,
To have seen these dead men rise.
MYSTERIES OF THE DEEP SEA.
350
I LOOKED UPON r-:S Be.lTING SEA,
And drew my ^ ves away.
' -"^-^.''^ .JS>''
'I' ,
\m
^60 flKA AKD LANO.
The helmsman steered, the ship moved on,
Yet never a zephjr upblew;
The mariners all 'gan work the ropes.
Where they were wont to do ;
They raised their limbs like lifeless tools — *
We were a ghastly crew.
The body of my brother's son
Stood by me knee to knee :
The body and I pulled at one rope.
But he said nought to me.
I fear thee, ancient Mariner !
Be calm, thou Wedding-Guest,
'Twas not those souls that fled in pain.
Which to their corses came again,
But a troop of spirits blekt :
For when it dawned — they dropped their arms,
And clustered round the mast ;
Sweet sounds rose slowly through their mouths,
And from their bodies passed.
Around, around, flew each sweet sound,
Then darted to the sun ;
Slowly the sounds came back again.
Now mixed ; now one by one.
And now 'twas like all instruments.
Now like a lonely flute,
And now it is an angel's song,
That makes the heavens be mute.
It ceased ; yet still the sails made on
A pleasant noise till noon,
A noise like that of a hidden brook,
In the leafy month of June,
That to the sleeping woods all night
Singeth a quiet tune.
Till noon we quietly sailed on,
Yet never a breeze did breathe :
Slowly and smoothly went the ship,
Moved onward from beneath.
MY8TBR1E8 OP THE DEEP SEA.
361
Beyond the shadow of the ship
I WATCHED T«ir rxTA.r^'r. -
4
362
SEA AND LAND.
Under the keel nine fathom deep,
From the land of mist and snow,
The spirit slid j and it was he
That made the ship to go.
The sails at noon left off their tnne.
And the ship stood still also.
The sun right above the mast,
Had fixed her to the ocean :
But in a minute she 'gan stir
With a short uneasv motion —
Backwards and forwards half her length,
With a short uneasy motion.
Then like a pawing horse let go.
She made a sudden bound ;
It flung the blood into my head.
And I fell down in a swound.
How long in that same fit I lay,
I have not to declare ;
But ere my living life returned,
I heard and in my soul discerned
Two voices in the air.
" Is it he ?" quoth one, " Is this the man ?
By him who died on cross,
With his cruel bow he laid full low
The harmless albatross.
" The spirit bideth by himself
In the land of mist and snow.
He loved the bird that loved tha man,
Who shot him with his bow."
The other was a softer voice.
As soft as honey-dew :
Quoth he, " The man hath penance done,
And penance more will do."
PART VI.
FIKST VOICE.
5|^UT tell me, tell me ! speak again,
i^u Thy soft response renewing —
Whjat makes that ship drive on so fast?
What is the Ocean doing ?
MYSTEltlES OF THE DEEP 8EA.
363
'iii
THEY GROANED, THEY STIRRED, THEY ALL UPROSE
Nor spake, nor moved their eyes. '
3G4
SKA AND LAKD.
W
i
SECOND VOICE.
Still a8 a slave before his lord,
The Ocean hath no blast;
His great bright eye most silently
Up to the moon is cast.
If he may know which way to go,
For she guides him smooth or grim.
See, brother, see ! how graciously
She looketh down on him.
FIRST VOICE.
But why drives on that ship so fast,
Without or wave or wind ?
)
SECOND VOICE.
The air is cut away before.
And closes from behind.
Fly, brother, fly ! more high, more high.
Or we shall be belated ;
For slow and slow tliul ( lip will go,
When the Mariner's frMicQ is abated.
I woko, and we wero saJling on.
As in a gentle weather ;
'Twas night, calm night, the moon was high
The dead men stood together.
All stood together on the deck,
For a charnel-dungeon fitter j
All fixed on me their stony eyes.
That in the moon did glitter.
The pang, the curse with which they died.
Had never passed away ;
I could not draw my eyes from theirs,
Nor turn them up to pray.
And now this spell was snapt j once more
i Viewed the ocean gfccn,
And looked far forth, yet little saw
Of what had else been seen —
MYSTERIES OF THE DEEP SEA.
It ceased, yet still the sails made on
A pleasant noise till noon.
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3B6 81SA AND LAND.
Like one that on a lobesomo road
Doth walk in fear and dread,
And having once turned round, walks on,
And turns no more hia head ;
Because he knows a frightful fiend
Doth close behind him tread.
But soon there breathed a wind on me,
Nor sound nor motion made ;
Its path was not upon the sea
In ripple or in shade.
It raised my hair, it fanned my cheek
Like a meadow-gale of spring —
It mingled strangely with my fears.
Yet it felt like a welcoming.
Swiftly, swiftly flew the ship,
Yet she sailed softly too ;
Sweetly, sweetly blew the breeze —
On me alone it blew.
Oh ! dream of joy ! is this, indeed.
The light-house top I see ?
Is this the hill ? is this the kirk j
Is this mine own eountree '(
We drifted o'er the harbour bar.
And I with sobs did pray —
O let me be awake, my Grod !
Or let me sleep alway.
The harbour-bay was clear as glass,
So smoothly it was strewn ;
And on the bay the moonlight lay.
And the shadow of the moon.
The rock shone bright, the kirk no less.
That stands above the rock :
The moonlight steeped in silentness,
The steady weathercock.
And the bay was white with silent light.
Till rising from the same,
Pull many shapes, that shadows were.
In crimson colours came.
MYSTERIEe OF THE DEEP SEA.
367
UNDER THE KEEL NINE FATHOMS DEEP,
FROM THE LAND OF MIST AND SNOW
The spirit slid.
M', •'
368 SEA AND LAND,
A little distance from the prew
Those crimson shadows were ;
I turned my eyes upon the deck —
. Oh, Christ ! what saw I there !
Each corse lay flat, lifeless and flat,
And, by the holy rood,
A man all light, a seraph-man,
On every corse there stood.
This seraph-baiid each waved his hand
It was a heavenly sigl.t;
They stood as signals^ to the land,
Each one a lovely light.
This seraph-baad each wkved his hand,
No voice did they impart —
No voice ; but oh ! the silence sunk
Like music on my heart.
But soon I heard the dash of oars,
I heard the Pilot's cheer ;
My head was turned perforce away, .
And I saw a boat appear.
The Pilot and the Pilot's boy,
I heard them coming fast j
Dear Lord in Heaven ! it was a joy
The dead men coald not blast.
I saw a third — I heard his voice,
It is the hermit good ;
He singeth loud his godly hymns
That he makes in the wood.
He'll shrieve my soul, he'll wash away
The albatross's blood.
PART VII.
^HIS Hermit good lives in that wood
*" Which slopes down to the sea.
How loudly his sweet voice he rears I
He loves to talk with marineres
That come from a far countree.
MYSTERIES Or THE DEEP SEA,
■yr^
ZS9
But why drives on the ship so va-
WITHOUT OR WAVL: OR WIND?
M«
i I
370 SEA AND LAND.
He kneels at morn, and noon and eve —
He hath a cushion plump,
It is the moss that wholly hides
The rotted old oak-stump.
The skiff-boat neared : I heard them talk,
" Why, this is strange, I trow !
"Where are those lights so many and fair,
That signal made but now ? "
" Strange, by my faith," the Hermit said —
" And they answered not our cheer ;
The planks look warped ; and see these sails
How thin they are ana sere !
I never saw aught like to them
Unless perchance it were
" Brown skeletons of leaves that lag
My forest-brook along.
When the ivy-tod is heavy with snow,
And the o^\let whoops to the wolf below.
That eats the she-wolf's young."
Dear Lord ! it hath a fiendish look —
(The Pilot made reply)
I am a-feared " — " Push on, push on."
Said the Hermit cheerily.
The boat came closer to the ship,
But I nor spake nor stirred ;
The boat came close beneath the ship.
And straight a sound was heard.
Under the water it rumbled on.
Still louder and more dread :
It reached the ship, it split the bay j
The ship went down like lead.
Stunned by that loud and dreadful sound,
Which sky and ocean smote,
Like one that hath been seven days drowned
My body lay afloat j
But swift as dreams, myself I found
Within the Pilot's boat.
^.-
MYSTERIES OF THE DEEP SEA.
871
This seraph band, each waved his hands
it was a heavenly sight
372 SEA AND LAND.
Upon tho whirl, whoro sank tho ship
Tho boat spun round and round ;
And all was still, save that tho hill
Was telling of the sound.
I moved my lips — the Pilot shrieked.
And fell down in a fit;
Tho Holy Hermit raised his eyes.
And prayed where he did sit.
I took tho oars : tho Pilot's boy.
Who now doth crazy go,
Laughed loud and long, and all tho while
His eyes went to and fro.
" Ha ! ha ! " quoth ho, " full plain I see,
Tho Devil knows how to row."
And now, all in my own countree,
I stood on tho firm land !
Tho hermit stepped forth from the boat,
■ And scarcely he could stand.
" O shrieve me, shriove me, holy man ! "
The Hermit crossed his brow,
" Say quick," quoth ho, *' I bid thoo say
What manner of man art thou ? "
Forthwith this frame of mine was wrenched
With a woful agony.
Which forced me to begin my tale j
And then it left me free.
Since then at an uncertain hour,
That agony roturnp :
And till my ghastly tale is told
This heart within mo bums. . .
I pass like night from land to land :
I have strange power of speech j
That moment that his face I see,
I know the man that must hear me :
To him my tale I teach.
What loud uproar bursts from that door !
ThO' wedding-guests are there :
But in the garden bower tho bride
And bridomaids singing are :
And hark the little vesper boll,
T»n,;,.k >M*<j|»^flth mo to prayer.
HYstRmtB or ttiiB totetp sftA.
m
I MOVED MY LIPS -THE PILOT SHRIEKED
AND PELL DOWN IN A FIT.
374
; .J-."
(ISA AKD LAKt>.
Oh Wedding Gnest ! this soul hath been
Alone on a wide, wide sea ;
So lon»>ly 'twas, that God himself
Scarce seemed there to be.
O sweeter than the marriage feast.
'Tis sweeter far to me,
To walk together to the kirk
With a goodly company ;
To walk together to the kirk,
And all together pray,
While each to his great Father bends.
Old men and babes, and loving friends.
And youths and maiuens gay ;
Farewell, farewell ! but this I tell
To the^, thou Wedding Guest !
He prayeth well, who loveth well
Both man and bird and boast.
He prayeth best who loveth best
All things both great and small j
For the dear God that loveth us,
He made and loveth all.
The Mariner whose eye is bright.
Whose beard with ago is hoar.
Is gone ; and now the Wedding Guest
Turns from the bridegroom's door.
He went like one that hath been stunned,
And is of sense forlorn :
A sadder and a wiser man,
He rose the morrow mom.
'L-
THE WORLD ASHORE.
CHAPTER XXI.
THE UNFOLDING OF CREATrON BV EVOLUTION.
Sn the introductory chapter of th» work I have gi,e„ a very brief
\ descnpfon „, the theory of earth development, expfain?^
ho» ,t g,e«, up out of chuo, and became bathed wi h the mota-
ture that emanated from all the spheres ; of how life first at
peared m the movi.^ waters of univeraa. ocean, before land waTa^
where upon the hquid globe, and refeM, casually, to the «r"uZt
of evolnfon that theory which is the grandest conceptio"ro7the
r: vt:;r^ -- fewton, a„d the poer of any age sinUUdaw:
ot civilization. The extraordinary interest of the subject shall be
y excuse for introducing to the reader again, not theor es but facU
order, through stages, or cycles, cataclysms, convulsions eversion.
"HoTJf^^'^T ^'P*"" °"* ^^ ' ^> »°*» »*o^ the plant up-irrows
A winged 4»rm take, ilfe one day to quit It. narrow Jl ? "
^ As scientists, in their discussions of the earth's develoDm.nt
divided t emselves into Plutouists and Neptunists, one hZv nTthai
."nolnceSl '"' f.?^, '"^'' '» "■« "-k ages, before the clourof
«h08ehistorv;on<r7„'Zl^f""'n^'T'"' •*'°'' «'«'>'Pl«. the Chinese,
the Critor iiri n ^^'"^'"■'»' "P^sented Pan-kou-che as
treator, who was. smaU man, even in their esUmaSon, and withal •
976
HPA Atd) tAND.
1 1
feeble and nervous. Their traditioiifl, however, tell them that tlilg
man, with haramer and chisel, hewed the globe out of chaos, broke
away the granite spurs and huge inequalities of the crust, and carved
highways through the wilderness and tunnels through mountains,
until he reduced the earth to a habitable condition by the sheer force
of his incomparable industry.
PAN kOU-CHE, THE CREATOR.— (FROM A PAINTING IN A CHINESE MANUSCRIPT.)
Opposed to the legends of the Chinese, we have the traditions ol
the Scandinavians, that race of free-born and war-like people who
never slept under tae arm of a conqueror, and whose rugged natures,
bred to a rugged climate, made them glory in the power which they
attained through struggles, viewed the whole world as a thing not
fnr, woRf.n jHhom.
877
OBdersteod and yH not «„ gr„,.t hut that they mi-rht rule it «nd,r
ling u a ,ni/ht, ^z:'!^::iz::Zi :™ :;" "«-
ou« «tep, breathed like a cyclone, and ^ru bed h„ t T""^"""
invention of n.eehanio geniu ; ,d ^;;:; ^ io"! thi," , TT' '^" ""'
through tumbled and chaotic .aturele fol °^ ,°Y '''' ""^
i».-ion t,.e.i,hty.,rce.„hich iil^-tLSl^i^tr!:,::::'
Thedi«ere:i z:::^:z:;z>^z ,:n7.r:Lti«c >„ ti •'
theones respecting the world's origiu, represent the ^ffer
rerrrrpictrdt^s^^^^
...;^^o.so
The Neptunists and Plutonists were scientists in their dav both
heated, revolved witm v \ '""' ''^'"'^ ^^^"^ '"t^^^^ly
asundpr rt ^ . ^ '^P'^'^^ ^^^<^ centrifu-al force rent it
octl nd\ ^""^^'"^^^ «P'^^« -^-^ turned w th ^l
could only account for f hL S . , ' ^ '''^''''' '' """^ ^^^^h. If we
to^etap^XT^te::^^^^^
^e are in darkness on thf<, ^o J4w" ~ ' i "^'°' ' '' '
venture out no further'oVfh,-! ? ^^"'^'^"°"' '^"^ '""^^^ therefore,
reach ^^'' S'^*^ speculative sea than a line will
^•^
378
8KA AND LAND.
As the earth gradually cooled and formed a crust, the gases risinjr
from the seething fires, which still raged within the fragile coTerinir';
burst from time to time and produced great convulsions, splitting the
earth and upheaving mountains, covering some barren places ''with
water, and in others raising islands and large bodies of land from the
THOR, THE NEPTUNB AND CREATOR OF THE SCANDINAVIANS, RECONSTRUCTING THE GLOBfc
bottom of the sea. No less than sixteen cataclysms have taken place,
which have left evidences by which they can each be comprehended,
EFFECTS OF MIGHTY CONVULSIONS.
But the bursting of mighty iiitfirnal forces has bad other effects
than the upheaving of continents, changing of ocean beds, and devel-
oping of mountain chains; for, besides remodeling the surface of the
THE WOULD ASHORE.
379
5 THE GLOBB.
globe, these convulsions have chancjed the species of animals, since
observation attests the fact that each telluric phase had its peculiar
organic form. Resper^ting this fact Humboldt, the greatest of phil-
osophic travelers, says : " Each upheaval of these mountain chains
of which we can determine the relative antiquity, has been signalized
by the destruction of ancient species and the appearance of new
organisms." Pouchet, who has painted in such elegant language the
story of the world's development, obi^erves: '« The earth is only an
immense cemetery, where each generation acquires life at the expense
of the debris of that which has just expired ; the particles of our
corpses form new materials for the beings which will follow us But
we have now reached an epoch of transition ; the exhausted creative
powers are experiencing almost a period of arrest; they are waiting
till new telluric perturbations awaken them from their torpor.
"The first compact crust wi j enveloped the globe was only
formed by the cooling down and solidification of its superficial, once
incandescent, layers. Hence the beds which compose it are called
primitive, or plutonic, in order to indicate their antiquity or i«rne-
ous origin. The strata which overlie the primitive rocks ovve, on^he
contrary, their formation to deposits from the waters ; and for this
reason are called alluvial, or nepturian, strata."
Without attempting to follow the process of development, by which
the earth was evolved from a fiery globe, thence a boundless sea, to its
present condition of orderly separation of land and water, distribu-
tion of zones of climate, and profusion of life, I will merely say that
when the cooling process had sufficiently advanced to admit the exist-
ence of plants and animals, an extremely low order of animate crea-
tionappeared. Amongthese, and most prominent, were the trilobites,
so called from the arrangement of their articulated bodies, which
consisted of three shells over-lapping and ranged side by side. A
study of these crustaceans reveals to the scientist the condition of
the seas at the time they existed, though for thousands of years these
most ancient Inhabitants of the seas have been stricken from the or-
der of creation. They were abundant during the Silurian period, a
name given to indicate the first appearance of molluscs, from 8ilurus,
the earliest creatures of the sea, whose remains have been f"u"d i-
great quantities in Wales, where they have been chiefly studied.
THE FORESTS APPEAR.
The second age is called the Devonian, or age of fishes ; the third
tHe (.arboniferous. or the age of coal ; the fourth is the age of rep-
S80
SKA AND lANfl.
t.Ie8 , and the fifth the age of Mammalia and „f Man. As the earti,
was a one time a seethh,g ball of fire, and at another covered w
shoreless waves, so in the third, or carboniferous period the „H
that had then been uncovered was fairly hidden by 120 fore tf
g.gant,c and dense that we can form no conception of its prZt l
was then, for example the great Lycopodia, which reared its m
ster stems to a he.ght of one hundred feet ; to^ay it is only a c«e
mg, herbaceous plant. There was also the gigantic Lenidode^Z"
the body of which resembled a scaly cuirass", T,r the envelope o^
LABYRINTHODON RESTORED.
7flT' 1 K °''' ^'^aPPeared from our forests; so, also, has the
g^gant.0 club-moss whose tangled tendrils and immense stems cov-
ered the earth in places like an impenetrable pall of darkness.
These clusters of rank vegetation had their roots in marshy soil
s 11 surcharged w,th heat from the ye. uncooied earth, and were
further nourished, by a great amount of carbonic acid, upon which
plants feed. As an authority observes ;
-At the present time the atmosphere contains onlv a fho..«.ndfh
part of carbonic gas, whereas, according to Mons. A. Brongniart,
there was at the carboniferous period seven to eight parts in a hun-
THE WOBLD ASHOBE.
381
.eat aeve,„;„.e,,t:rtivr;e: :;:rcr:; ::-:'^ ^^'^"'-;''»
sufh a quantity of acid ii, thn .,i. .„ ,j , , ^ P""'"'' "°"J ■«
animal, of a hi.herde» 1 ^f H . "'^"''^ '"'™ "o™ '*' «<>
l.ird,, s„ none a?e It Th at thtrtf "'"'"p ' ^r" "" "■"■""■»" -""O
appeared wl,en the plan" and tro s bv'th " 1 ' ""-^ '«'™"'^ ""'y
bonicacidasfood.had„ecess,rin;,H« i^A "bsorpt.on of the car-
te allow of animal life ^TnlZnl!:';^ "'""'''"""'' ^""^^'^-''^
This impenetrable forest extended fivim r>„l t , ,
time modification of the temperature tj n^Vv " ",' ^"^ "* ""'
parts of the globe were eouanvh. t ! .t *"'""' P'""^' "'"J «»
unbroken forest walte in the ill t k ™ "'"' ""'"'^'"'' " ^'i'l^
a Hvin, thing, sa™ ^ri^^'^^^a ™ «: 1^; ITr ' ""'
rus, a few vestiges of which have bee,, dkcoveVrd It -^'•^t'^r"-
son,e creature was manifestly nnborn in t^e r,;tLr„/ "0""
animal, .hich I have described'in ^ o^Ve '^l'^::^ 7Z
But, ah I the marvelous change which timo »,„..,
mere astonishing than the secret TftL? J '* '"''"""""»«'"'
than genii ever^conceived Tadu .lit thf-"'"''"; "T ""'^™'"»»
which nature seemed to have ~ed h """"^ '°™'' ""'"'
wrshvloam that sJeuZlT^'T'""""""'^''- ^""^ '■"» «>«
appealed into^bl ^'^^^^ ^l''^^^ ^"tl'''-
marvelous process, into the on.} fi u u7 changed, by a
^0.0. iudis^ensabl'e uslCesfto trpUnttgr " "''-""•^ "'
THE BIRTH OF THE FAUNA- LAND MONSTEBS
i»«^i rhi Vc::'r„t^'''^.r '"' ^-' "-^ •-=' "■» «-'
li-ds of our t me a^rb'ut th! ^^ I '""""'"• ^" «'«"""« ">at the
development of Ufe.n , A '''" '""'""^ ^^ comparison. The
foramorg the ea HesUa,^ "'" T "'''"'"'" ''■'"" *>■*" ■" ">e sea!
«1 that there are r»e now ir, "«^^™""""''' »°»«te™. ^o colosl
them. """ """ " '""»'^"«« '>y "hieh we might compaie
The s(>pnnH«r«' —^--1-
ous creatures wii„TrbZrrr'''f.'"'' *"" "»'»-<'■"' "■"J ™-
for theahsenclof f^la™"!'/" h" ""'• "' *''^ carboniferous was
ceot fauna. Among the g,gantic animals of the period
382
8EA AND LAND.
Miiiit
! 1 i
'I .If!
was the immense Labyrinthodon, so named from the labyrinthine tex-
ture of its teeth. This creature, though uniting the form and many
THK MEGAL08AURUS AND IGUANODON.
characteristics of the frog with the scaly body of the saurian lizard,
was in size equal to a large ox. The head was somewhat like that of
::;-!'.i!"
THE WORLD ASHORE.
383
a crocodile's, and its powerful jaws, armed with murderous looking
teeth, made it a fit companion of the mosasauri, plesiosauri and ich-
thyosauri, which roamed the sea.
But equally terrible to behold, and more mighty in theirvast propor-
tions, were the Megalosauri and Iquanodons, whose reptilian len«-th8
were forty-cght and fifty-two feet. The former is found in a fossil
state in the Jurassic beds -named from certain rocks of the Jura
Mountains,- where some of the remains are in an excellent state of
preservation. This animal uas a monster lizard, as its name implies,
which crept about on four legs, so short that they scarcely served to
keep Its body from the ground, while its great tail must have dragged
upon Its extreme length. Cuvier says the megalosaunis resembled,
m structure, both the iguana and monitors of the present day, and
that ,t was undoubtedly terrestrial, though it was very similar in ap-
pearance to the amphibious saurians with which it was contemporane-
ous. Figuier observes that the complicated structure and marvelous
arrangement of the teeth prove it to have been essentially carnivor-
ous It probably fed on serpents, crocodiles and turtles, all of which
are found ,n a fossil state in the same cretaceous (chalky) beds with
■t^ An examination of the lower jaw, an admirable specimen of
which IS in the Bnfsh Museum, discloses the fact that its head ter-
."mated in a straight nozzle, like the India crocodile. The teeth
seveml of wn.ch adhere to the jaw, betray the destructive powe^
which It possessed, partaking alike of the knife, saber and saw Ver-
..a a their junction with the jaw, they change as the animal ages,
unti they assume a backward curve resembling a pruning knife
Buc land says : . With teeth constructed so as t: out'^with tie whot
made T - ^ ^'".'r ^"^^ «^^^-t the same time that the point
sword T, TT' f ''"' ""'^ '^ ''" P°'"^ «^ « double-cutting
Zl A r '"'^ ""''"'"'■" *"^^^" ^y ^he teeth at their full
SZ^'/" T^' ^' ^'^ P^^^' -^^" ""- --<^' -l--ble. .
,m in In !•' ' f"' arrangements which enable mankind to
put in operation many of the instruments which they employ."
A MORE TERRIBLE MONSTER YET.
Me!al^:!:."'?" }'";;t<' '""■^O) r ''"'' ""'^'' S'^--"" ""•- '"«
a ci^nt- u "V^f *''« '"""'' "o'"'™' of all th« saurians of the
PoW o! "'""'' '"'r"'' '" P'l-'o'ogy has yet exposed,
rrofessor Owen and Dr. Mantell have made a special study „( this
1 ifml' ■'
iHi
III
i!iii i
384
SEA AND LAND.
monstrous animal, but while they have succeeded in clearly defining
Its nature they are not agreed on the form of its tail; the former be
hevmg it to have had a short tail, while the latter stoutly maintains
that It was long, proportionate to all others of the lizard species
This difference in opinion is important because it divides opinion o.i
the length of the animal by fifty or sixty-feet. The largest femur
(thigh) bone yet found measures four feet eight inches in len^rth
which, when we consider how short are the legs in comparison with
the body of all lizards, will give us a small idea of its extraordinary
size.
The form of the feet, added to the existence of a horn, which
grew on the upper part of the muzzle or snout, serve to identify it as
a species of the Iguanidae now existing, the only reptile which is
THE RAMPHORYNCHUS.
known to be pro- ided with such a nasal weapon. But while the
largest of the living Tguanidse scarcely exceeds one yard in length,
its fossil congener was probably fifty feet long, and large in propor-
tion. The bone of the thigh of this animal surpasses that of the
elephant, while the feet show that they were designed for terrestrial
locomotion, and the formation of its teeth prove it to have been
herbivorous.
In the period preceding the secondary there was another animal
which deserves classification with the megalosaurus, by reason of a
striking resemblance in appearance and equality of size; this was the
Hyleomurus (meaning lizard of the wood), a monster that was cair-
assed like a knight and endowed with a muscular power almost im-
measurable. So few of the bones of this animal have been found
a horn, which
o identify it as
jptile wh'.cii is
But while the
ard in length,
rge in propor-
3s that of the
for terrestrial
to have been
THE WORLD ASHORE. 3^5
that, so far as I know, no scientist has undertaken fn A. -u -.
characteristics. unaertaken to descnbe its
A FIEND TOO OREADFUL TO LOOK UPON.
The Itamphorynchm (the meaning of which I Ac n^f b n
also contemporaneous with the hvl.L V ^^ ^^""^^ ^««
DRAGON OF ANCIENT BELIEF.
Its:,n.JTr'^,°.* a membrane connecting the fingers and bod^^
andTv'n^rkintf :i ^'^ ^"^ T '° ^''"' *"^«' ^ «^»^- elevations,'
>vh^tever:^f i ::^;;^- ^--^^^^ <>f its wmgs, dart downward a
It chose, The rumphor^nehus was 4 Jjorrible
^f
appeaf-
386
SEA AND LAND.
inir creature, but it was harmless, since it did not exceed a crow in
size, and on the ground, where it spent much of its time, its progress
was slow.
The most startling feature in the organization of this animal is lh«
strange combination of two powerful wings attached to the body of
a reptile. The imagination of the poets had long dwelt on such a
combination ; the Dragon was a creation of their fancy, and it had
long played a great part in Pagan mythoh)gy. The dragon, or flying
reptile, breathing fire and poisoning the air with its fiery breath, had,
according to fable, disputed with man the possession of the earth.
Gods and demi-gods claimed, among their most famous exploits, the
f'lory of having vanquished this powerful and redoubtable monster.
From pagan fictions the dragon passed into the poetry of the Greeks
and Latins, and later still into that,of the Kenaissance,and to modern
times. What a part did not the dragon play in the verses of Tasso
and Ariosto ! Consecrated by the superstitions of the earlier peoples,
transferred from pagan mythology to Greek and Roman poesy, and
finally into the poetic fictions of the middle ages, the dragon always
has and always will belong to the supernatural. Indeed, does not
the ramphorynchus and pterodactylus present a living embodiment
of this poetic conception of the dragon? While the former was
no larger than a crow, and the latter did not exceed a swan in size,
yet the figure once impressed upon the inind may easily enlarge when
out of sight. Thus several scientists have undertaken to prove by
this analogy of reasoning that man lived contemporaneous with these
two winged reptiles, a remembrance of which has been transmitted
through successive generations until the one who first conceived a
dragon borrowed the idea from the transmitted image.
BIRTH OF THE MAMMALIA.
The tertiary period, at which we have now arrived in the earth's
development, shows as great changes as during any other age, and is
remarkable for the appearance of that higher order of creation, the
mammifera, which at once assumed a m-istership over all animate
things. We have seen how, in the transition or Devonian period, the
animal kingdom was confined to crustaceans and fishes; that in the
secondary age the rulership was transferred to the reptiles, whose de-
cline, by some of the largest species becoming extinct, was succeeded
by mammals, a great numl>er of distinct types apparently api)earing
.at .the suipie tiine. JN.ot only did the higher order of anijtnal life appew
THE WORLD ASHORE.
887
jd a crow in
dnringthe tertian epoch, but it is also a distinguished period from
the fact that It was now that the earth's crust had become so thfek
THE PALiEOTHERIUM AND ANOPLOTHKRIA.
™ to !h^'T'-*''"'/"'''''''°S *'•'''• ^«^'^«i the solar rays be-
gaatoshow the,r mfluence on our planet i the poles were growing
SEA AND LAND.
cold ; lacustrine deposits of fresh water were formed in great nuni-
bers, and rivers, by their alluvial deposits, began to form new Jiind.
It is at the end of this period that continents and seas took their
respective places as we now see them, and the surface of the ejuth
received its actual form. Creation's hand had at last fushioncd a
habitation for animal life which showed the extraordinary develop-
ment of species. Not only did monkeys, bats, mermots and pachy-
derms now appear on land, but the sea gave up its monsters, too, jukI
cetaceans were born, which, though no less in size, were of harmless
disposition and necessary in the preparation all nature was now makiii;,^
to receive the Muster, the crowning work of creation, Man.
HUGE BEASTS OF THE TERTIARY PERIOD.
Most prominent among the animals of the tertiary epoch were the
Paleeotheriura, Anoplotherium and the Xiphodon, all of which were
herbivorous and gregarious in their habits Cuvier represents them
as being intermediate between the rhinoceros, tapir and horse,
since they possessed characteristic^ peculiar to all these. But more
singular than this is the fact that in size they varied from that of a
rabbit to an ox, indicating a wonderful variety of species. The
Faloeotherium (implying ancient beast) had heavy bodies, small, pre-
hensile trunk, and generally resembled our tapirs. They congregated
in vast herds along the river courses and lake coasts, where their
bones may still be found in immense quantities, and particu'arly^in
the ancient basin of Paris. It is from this beast that our modern
horse is supposed to have descended.
The Anoplotheria (meaning defenceless animal) has posterior mo-
lars analogous to those of the rhinoceros, and with hoofs divided like
the ox. The most singular feature it possessed was a tail about three
feet long and very thick at the junction with the body ; this tail, it is
supposed, served the animal as a rudder and propeller when swim-
ming in lakes and rivers which it frequented.
Judging from its habits of swimming and diving," says Cuvier,
"the anoplotherium would have the hair smooth, like the otter;
perhaps its skin was half naked. It is not likely either that it had
long ears, which would be inconvenient in its aquatic kind of life;
and I am inclined to think that, in this respect, it resembled the hip-
popotamus and other quadrupeds which frequent the water much."
In our own country the remains of equally wonderful animals are
found; the cretaceous beds of J^ew Jersey being particularly prolifip
THK WORLD ASHORE.
38fJ
3 now making
aosterior mo-
3 divided like
1 about three
this tail, it is
when swim-
with remains of extinct creatures much greater in size than any now
existent. Among these mighty reptiles, that seemed to be confined
S
>
3
0
>
a
>
2
0
O
0
>
<
>
z
-n ..mencau bayous, was the Great OimoUasaur (chalk-lizard) and
Elasmosaur, which presented forms like our conception of the mod-
ern sea-serpent. Their bodies equaled that of an ox, and they were
;■ »'
m
SKA AKt> LAm>.
;i 1
prwi -^ o th flippers, larjge as the whale's, to propel their forty feet
«# aerpentiii length through the water ; so weio there monster .snaiK
ping-turtlos, having heads a foot loiti? and shells six feet in length.
THE FRIGHTFUL ALLIOATOR BIRD.
But the most remarkable animal that flourished on American soil
0Ofi perhaps the most wonderful in all creation, was the Lceloptt, or
eagle4>e#«t, a carnivorouH, kan^ Too-like quadruped, twenty-three
feet in length. Winchell describes it as a rude attempt of nature to
realize the notion of a bird in the fiamework of an alligator. Its
toes were long and slender, and very like those of a bird of prey.
They were armed with flattened, hooked claws, which measured nearly
a foot in length, and, like those of the eagle — from whence it takes
its Latin name, L. Aquilunguia — were adapted for grabbin"- and
tearing prey. The teeth were knife-shaped and serrate on the mar-
gin, so that when the upper and lower were brought together they
cut like a pair of scissors. Such a creature could hardly be destroyed
by modern sporting arms, and it might well terrify an army. The
claws of the grizzly bear are scarcely three inches in lengtii, and yet a
lion can hardly stand before it; what, then, must have been the dread-
ful strength and fighting power of the Icelops, with its claws a foot in
length, and a body, no doubt, possessing the strong vitality of the
alligator?
Another gigantic reptile, whose remains were found in Pennsyl-
vania, was the Badrosaur, which attained a length of thirty feet, but
it was not furnished with such murderous claws as the IsBJops pos-
sessed. Its fore-limbs were less than half the length of the hind
ones, thus proving it to be also of a kangaroo species. Its attitude
when resting was upon its posterior extremities, and when feeding it
reacued upward and drew the branches down within reach of its
grinding jaws, for it was an herbivorous animal. V '^ probable that
this monstrous creature sometimes v/alked half erect i\V^' ' it> immense
hind feet, in which attitude it must have presented n t-lv^ht tLit would
have frozen the blood of a courageous man, for it was more frightful
than a nightmare.
In Oi'\i there has been exhumed the remains of an animal that was
the very ;. '-"VTif'tion of horror. It is called the Dinotheria — memin^
«* terrible ;>* -fc " — ; nd in shape was analogus to the elephant, though
very musdn I- ,'er and alt-r:^ other of more forbidding aspect, yet its
nature wua ^ou^^aa&tively iiarmless, since it fed chiefly upon berba*
TMfi WORLD ASHORE.
891
eet in length.
J 1 .t- immense
frht til -it would
more frightful
ria — meaning
ceous vegetables growing in flooded plains. It was provided with
two tu8k«.Av.nch grow downward, like iu the walrus, which it uu
THE MONSTEK DINOTHERIA.
dm.bt used to (^^ up feculent roots from the beds of rivers whilp
branches of trees and feast upon their foliage. Several bones of this
Ip^-J*'*
392
SEA AUty LAND.
creature have been dug up in Ohio, but in 1836 a head, nearly entire,
waG found in the already celebrated beds at Eppelsheim, Germany!
Bones of the same animal have also been exhumed in Louisiana, so
that its range seems to have been greater than that of any other ani-
mal of the tertiary age.
The Mastodon (meaning teat-like tooth) was next in size to the
Dinotheria, which it somewhat resembled, but was more nearly analo-
gous to the elephant. In fa^t, about the only distinction was in its
heavy coat of coarse, bristly hair and the size of its tusks, which, in
the mammoth, grew to a, length of ten feet, and almost withont any
curve, while it was also provided with two shorter tusks, growing out
of the lower jaw. The remains of this ponderous creature are qnite
numerous throughout the United States and Siberia, where they iiave
been exhumed entire, and standing upright, as if suddenly over-
whelmed and buried. Indeed, so, perfect are some of these remains,
that we still find in their stomachs the food they had just swallowed,
and not yet digested.
The Megatherium (great beast) was larger then any elephant of the
present period, standing more than twenty feet when in ai. erect po-
sition. It was allied to the sloths and ant-eaters, no representations
of which now living exceed a common dog in size. Its remains seem
to be confined to South America.
The Sivatherhim (beast of Siva), found in India, is represented
by Owen as having been one of the most gigantic and extraordinary
of extinct quadrupeds. It was a stag as large as an elephant, and its
head was armed with monstrous horns. The Irish deer, the largest
of extinct animals found in Ireland, could not be compared with it,
either in size or formidable appearance.
But besides gigantic saurians and other mastodonic beasts, which dis-
tinguished the tertiary period, there were other monsters, such us the
Olyptodons, huge armadillos, that might have borne a house on tiieir
backs, so large and powerful were they. This also was the age of the
great Salamander, which the dictum of a theological naturalist caused
to be long considered as an incontestable relic from the hecatonil) of
the biblical deluge. There were also rhinoceros and hippopotami,
though the fossil remains found of these animals do not show them
to have been larger at that period than at present. Birds were also
numerous, but not of extraordinary size, nor were there any mon-
strosities among the feathered cieatures.
d, nearly entire,
heim, Germany,
in Louisiana, so
' any other jiui-
t in size to the
>re nearly analo-
ction was in its
;usks, which, in
:)st without any
ks, growiiio' out
mture are quite
v'here they iiave
suddenly over-
these remains,
just swallowed,
elephant of the
in ar. erect po-
representatioiia
s remains seem
is represented
I extraordinary
ephant, and its
;er, the largest
ipared with it,
asts, which dis-
srs, such as the
house on their
the ago of the
.turalist caused
e heciitonib of
hippopotami,
lot show them
irds were also
jere any moii-
fun WOltLl) ASttOkft.
m
What I have written of the tertiary epoch has reference to that
e as a whole, notwithstanding that it was divided into three sepa.
*■ -SiP
•"leviatu,,,, ,« lo have described these periods separately would have
394
SEA AND LAND.
greatly enlarged this chapter, and extended it beyond the scope in-
tended.
THE AGE OF M/^N AND TELLURIC DI8TURBAN0E8.
The quaternary period follows the tertiary, njerging one into the
other, not by any distinct or marked act of nature, but like the cri-nd-
ual blending of light and shadow. During the tertiary age tho earth
was split and rent by mighty convulsions, but at its conclusion our
planet assumed the shape which it still retains, save in some minor
particulars, hardly of suflScient importance to describe. We now
approach a period most remarkable for three important events, traii-
scending all others in the earth's development, save alone its evolu-
tion out of original chaos ; these three wonderful occurences were:
The deluges, glacial invasions and the creation of man.
Those who have studied geology or paleontology, while readin» of
the animals which I have attempted briefly to describe in the forego-
ing, will be tempted to enquire how it is possible to restore a creature
from only a bone that may be found, or a few bones, so that its ap-
pearance and habits while living may be known. To this I will make
answer in the language of Prof. Winchell, who has anticipated me;
" * * * 8uch is the unity and persistence of plan which runs
through the different classes of the animal kingdom, that a single
tooth, whether of a living or extinct species, will often suffice to en-
able an expert to disclose all the zoological relationships of the animal
to which it belonged, to delineate its form, size and habits of life.
Not less sublime than the work of the astronomer, who sits in his
observatory and, by the use of a few figures, determines the exist-
ence and position in space of some far-off, unknown orb, is that of
the paleontologist who, from the tooth of a reptile, or the long scale
of a fish found thirty feet deep in the solid rock, declares the exist-
ence, ages ago, of an animal form which human eyes never heheld-
a form passed totally out of being uncounted centuries before the
first intelligent creature was placed upon our planet — and by laws as
unerring and uniform as those of the mathematics, proceeds to give
us the length and breadth of the extinct form ; to tell us whether it
lived upon dryland, or marshes, or in the sea; whether a breather
of air or water, and whether subsisting upon vegetable or animal
food."
The same laws by which animal creation is governed apply with
equal naturalness to geologic formation ; hence, as from the tooth of
THE WORLD ASHORE,
395
>nd the scope in-
NOES.
ing one into the
)ut like tlie giad-
ary age the earth
ts conclusion our
i in some minor
icribe. We now
ant events, tran-
alone its evolu-
Dccurences were:
an.
while reading of
be in the forego-
estore a creature
s, so that its ap-
this I will make
anticipated nie;
plan which runs
:)m, that a single
ten suffice to en-
ips of the aninml
d habits of life.
, who sits in his
rmines the exist-
n orb, is that of
or the long scale
iclares the exist-
i never heheld—
iiries before the
■—and by laws as
proceeds to give
3II us whether it
lether a breather
(table or animal
'ned apply with
•om the tooth of
an extinct creature the paleontologist discovers it was a living thing
brought to existence again ; so the geologist, from the stones and
shells which he may gather, pictures the whole panorama of chan<re
irilC MEUATIIEKIUH.
through which they have passed, and through these stones, as a Urim
and ihummira, he gees the world as an infant, adult and aged.
39a
SfiA AN1> LAND.
CHAPTER XXn.
MONSTERS OF THE QUATERNARY PERIOD.
?EFORE describing the cataclysms which overwhelmed and
destroyed the greatest works of creation, applied to aiiimai
life, let us consider some of the wonderful creatures which
i^jj^^T roamed the earth during the quaternary period, which is re-
markable for the abundance of extraordinary monsters that were
then distributed over the nov%rn hemisphere. Europe and America
were both the grazing grounds of enormous animals, now long extinct,
but if we could penetrate the veil which hides from us the scenes of
five thousand years ago, we might see upon the hillsides, river banks
and coast bayous, creatures of such gigantic stature and terrible ap-
pearance as would fairly appal us. There were then elephants vastly
larger than any now existent, and apes of proportions that render
man insignificant by comparison.
In England, which was at that time a part of the European conti-
nent, there were serpents greater in size than any python that now
renders the jungles of Africa terrible, while the turtles that sunned
themselves upon the banks of her streams were almost equal to the
elephants of our day. There also lived in the British forests tigers
that exceeded any such as are now found in India, but even these
ferocious and powerful beasts were unable to contend with another
English native called the Machairodus (meaning dagger tooth), which,
being carnivorous, sought its prey from among the formidable animals
that lorded it over all others.
Over all Europe and Northern Asia there were countless hordes of
ponderous creatures, whose bones now alone remain to remind us
how wonderful are the changes which time has wrought. In the
post-tertiary period, a division of the quaternary age, the rivers of
Southern France and Italy were infested with hippopotami of gigan-
tic size, while in the forest of all Europe there roamed by thousands
the great hairy two-horned rhinoceros, bands of monster hyenas and
herds of enormous bears, whose jaws were mighty enough to crusii
the bones of any contemporary animal. But the largest of creatures
of that period was the huge Mammoth, which stood eighteen and
twenty feet in height, with proportions like the elephant. It had
THE WORLD ASHORE.
3J>7
'^erwhelmed and
ipplied to aiiiniul
creatures which
'iod, which is i-f-
isters that were
ope and America
low long extinct,
us the scenes of
ides, river banks
and terrible ap-
elephants vastly
ions that render
European contl-
lython that now
ties that sunned
ost equal to the
sh forests tigers
. but even these
nd with another
sr tooth), which,
midable animals
t sks that measured fifteen feet in length, but these did not proieet
.tr.,ght outward l,ke the tusks of an elephant, but deseribed a half
crcle u>stead, so that their use does not so clearlv aonea, If
-ed othen»nn.s of differenee fron. the ^e^!^'^Z; ^^^
^vas covered with a loni?. .^h«<r.,vTd"T^!^^ ?'''"""" .
and hanh- fl 4. J • ^' — ~°-'' ■'^•"°" "»"» wniie rrom its neck
t'^^i!:^::':':r^\r'"'-- "^ '««-'."">.-- shorter !
»it»de of Is b^fd;^""' '"?'"' "" ""'^ ^"^ -»" «'» Pf the mag-
398
SEA AND LAND.
RESURRECTION OF THE BONES OF GIANTS.
Bones of gigantic quadrupeds underlie the surface of nearly all
Europe, and the finding of them by the ancients gave rise to many
curious speculations and superstitions. Theophrastus, who preceded
Christ more than three hundred years, spoke of the fossil ivory in
the soil of Greece, in which he gravely tells us that they «' were both
black and white, and born of the earth." It is a singular fact that
some of the mammoth's bones bear a striking resemblance to those
of man, and hence they were frequently mistaken for the bones of
heroes and demi-gods. The Greeks for a long time sacredly pre-
served the patula of an elephant for the knee-bone of Ajax. Pliny
was likewise deceived by some bones revealed by an earthquake
which he pronounced those of a giant man. To a similar origin we
may assign the pretended body of Orestes, which was thirteen feet
in length ; those of Asterius, the son of Ajax, of eighteen feet, accord-
ing to Pausanius, and also of the great bones found in the h\e
of Rhodes, so elaborately described in Phlegon's " Subterranean
World."
" In 1577," says Figuier, " a storm having uprooted an oak near
the cloisters of Reyden, in the canton of Lucerne, some large hones
were exposed to view. Seven years later a physician and professor
of Basel, Felix Plater, being at Lucerne, examined these bones, and
declared they could only proceed from a giant. The Council of Lu-
cerne consented to send the bones to Basel for more minute examina-
tion, and Plater thought himself justified in attributing to the giant a
hight of niuetee.f feet. In 1706 there only remained of these bones
a portion of the scapula, and a fragment of the wrist-bone; the anat-
omist Blumenbach, who saw them at the beginning of the century,
easily recognized them for the bones of an elephant. Let us not
omit to add, as a complement to this bit of history, that the inhabi-
tants adopted the image of this pretended giant as the supporter of
the city arms.
Spanish history preserves many stories of giants. The tooth of
St. Christopher, shown at Valence, in the church dedicated to the
saint, was certainly the molar tooth of a fossil elephant, and in 1789
the canons of St. Vincent carried through the streets in public pro-
cession, to procure rain, the pretended arm of a saint, which was
nothing more than the femur of an elephant.
Jn J663, Otto Guericke, the illustrious inventor of the pneumatic
THE WORLD ASHORE.
399
of nearly all
rise to many
who preceded
'ossil ivoiy in
!y *' were both
jular fact that
lance to those
' the bones of
sacredly pre-
Ajax. Pliny
n earthquake,
ilar origin we
thirteen feet
ti feet, accord-
d in the Isle
Subterranean
I an oak near
e large bones
and professor
se bones, and
juncil of Lu-
nute examina-
to the giant a
F these bones
)ne ; the anat-
the century,
Let us not
xt the inhabi-
supporter of
The tooth of
licated to the
, and in 1789
n public pro-
t, which was
he pneumatic
machine, was witness to the discovery of the bones of an elephant
buned m shelly hmestone. Along with it were found if« J.^1":
were found its enormous
THE MAMMOTH i;UkIi\G T
ttK AGE OF MAN.
^'^:-t:t^:::::s;::cii';z^-^
400
8EA AND LAND
posed out of the romains a strange animal, carryings a hoin in the
middle of the forehead, and in each jaw a dozen molar teeth a foot
u.
z
0
<
t
Id
X
H
b
0
loiior. Having fabricated this fantastic creature, he gave to it a name
ftlso^ the J'os&il unicorn. During more than thirty years the unicorii
THE WORLD ASHORE.
401
the bones of Leibjiitz's iii,.Vn.„ ti, . '""'•"'° concerning
■ J • ^7""'""^^ ujueoiii, they were just 113 read v to ho ^o
ce,ved .gan, ; therefore, when some fossil bonei of boars we™ Ihl,;
m Germany only a short time after their enliehtenm-^t Th T ^
virtue, and the P<>o,ui7::z:zix::z^j:zzt'''
tones of this cafe-bear to comb . f^ 1 °u ^"'^''"^'^S used the
*. that he was j;::^^:^^^:^^:^^'''^
If • „™'.""H.MOLE, LAROE AS AN ELEPHANT.
It was m Prussia that the fossil elephant received the name of
mmmoth and its tusks mammoth horns. Pallas alerts Zt tb«
name is derived from mamma, which is the T,„.t„. t Tl
.p;^et. «W., which they apply to the elepZt wZ ^^'.^^
enormous animals .hatLerunrrru^rt,-k\r T'^ ''^'"""' "'"■
.nch .a affinity for darkness tW b '!!, J"''! "" """°' "'"* "'*'«'' l-'d
tothe light. Singul r To^h ttr;:! b^^^^^^^ beingexposed
among the Chinese as tbofniP- * '''■"'' '""="nent
»ork°o„ n.t„™ history i^^^ZXTpF '""" "" "'' """ ^*''»'""<'
teenth centuiy, will seZ' th::":. The rtarS:''1 " fV^
m have already snohen !,. tl,„ ■ /"", ""'""«' I'en-achu, of which
'ly-K' a work rf the Sfth T T°? "P"" ««""•"'"««. «»ti«ed
.l»^y».cA„,"r ;lct th.it is t"o7 .f "■ •""" ^''"^'' '^ ™"^''
It constantly conCitsLfoLur "°""' "'''°'' '"'''''' "'*"•
mouse, but is of the size of '^ ' « eo"' ™™"« ' it resembles a
MarkMtisve V tr::,;„t?.°°''°" "•""' "»*«"= "soolor
•ndcoveredwith'foVeste^'" I "t 'r™''" '" P'""^' '"" °'™'"»
H.« exprasse h reif 4™'J«^™'-'1'«'«"gthe same passage.
p Himself. "The /^fn^chu haunts obspme pbcea, ft
402
SEA AND LAND.
dios as soon as it is exposed to the luya of the sun or moon ; its fee t
are short in proportion to its size. Its tail is as long as that of n
THE GREAT WOOLLY RHINOCBROS.
Chinese. Its eyes are small ; its neck short. It is very stupid an'i
sluggish, When the inundAtjpns of the river Tam-schuami-m y too^
,c
THE WORLD ASHORE.
403
place, ill 1571, it often showed itself in th^ ..i • ...
the root« of the plant fu-kia " ^'""' ' '' '^ "°""«»'^^ b>'
tbcro ia i,„t tl,e least applicatio,, tn , ' '""""*'"g- ' "' "'» reason that
buffalo, as „ne may choo e to ,. M I I ""^ ""''"• """'»« ""■
A,„eric,.. to .hJliZlLlf '/"'' ''\'"''g»""'"""> of South
i.W in both the t''ti,"v a^fi noT " !" """'' ""'""'""y «'-» ''' "-
«rycroatnve,ashasbeen /h K "V*""''^- ™' "^'^"""J'-
theithsandant'a etl'al tor ?T' '^ """"^•' *"^'-™
a-a,.eu to on„.bi„gtre;sr;i;r^rrr rrf "sr"-"""'/
i™::r;r:,othrortf: "-'-f "-' " °"""^' -- "^--
.inco „„ t ee could hi bo J ^'T"' f^"' '"" "™ '^ P"'« '^""Y'
...o.™„„swei.lt B t tlntth? '.T '"=« ''"""g'' »<> »-'ain it
ih. bones of this V£olZlJrT/ '"'^^"'"^ ""derground. If
China we could at on e „ t-'- « ^ T? '"""' '"""'' '" «'''«™ "r
ferredto, but Le its fo s re!, ' ""' ""«'" "* ""> '<^g«"'' -
iti«di«tto„„::;::r^rarersr:att:uf;h^
could have originated in Siberia. Paraguayans
T. . THE MAMMOTH.
nl::,:;: „dt;::t"i,Xd'"" "'b/'^. '"^ ■•"-»'■--' " •"™-
of «^e Lena EiJ'TL- "ti^Vrd bet d adi.'nh*"" 7"'^
y^rs, and yet when foun i it. fl ., ■ thousands of
l'™«™ti,m that wolv^I and Lr^r T '""'•" ^''''"' ^""» »'
»o-d Con, it as it ™ Id frouTrh " f""'/" "' """ "■« """«'
It is known that flesh Z nU^llf T ""^'^ " '•""'''^'■'' ''""<■•
»f «■". and it is to sal e™..? ' "^'^"^ '° " temperature
"».' due. The rema „ Zh . T'^^^"""" «' tWs mammoth
Pete,sbur<. and pronriv """'''; "J "/^d ^y wolves, were taken to St.
wMI„„,„.!,L„r_''P''''^J°"'""''^ ^--the national museum. I,, iml
"Weton.an-t;;;";^^''.^^^-™. I had the pleasure of exami„i„V this
*rv.d and placed prLhibkl .. 7 "f ''""' ''^'"^ '""^ '««» P--^
P 1CM pft wbibit,,,,, besKie thf. skeleton a„d the restored
404
8EA AND LAND.
1 'vi lae
11 , fs
voniiilns of nn elephant, that a comparison of the size of the two
Hpecies might appear conspicuous.
ANCIENT ANIMALS OF THE THAMES.
Mammoths existed throughout Siberia in such vast numbers thnt
Jtheir bones, washed down by the^hciuX drift, have accumulated iij
THR WontO ASttORt:.
50 of the two
40/}
,Inc«.s about tho Arctic const in ..d. quantity as to form islands. A
valuablocomnuTco lui.s been carried on for years l.y the Tuui^uese and
CHF.IROTHFRIIIM, OR HAND-ANIMAL.
iiumbors th;it
iccuniulaled iu
Yakonl,. who are engaged recovering the ivory from tiiese island
if
l-c-J
406
«»EA AND LAND.
It was during the quaternary period that the horse appeared, both
in North America and in Europe, though, curious enough, the species
in Europe were- very much smaller than those of our day, while the
fossil remains of those found in North America show them to luvo
been very much larger than our domestic horse.
MONSTER BRUTES AND GREAT BIROS.
Among the strange reptiles of this period iione exceeded in form-
idable aspect the Glyptodon (carved tooth), a species of urmadiilo
found in South America. It was larger than an ox, and was covoml
with tessellated scales, including the head, giving it a cuirassed ap-
pearance invulnerable to any fowling-piece of to-day.
The VheirotheHum (hand-animal) flourished at this time-, aitd has
;eft its impressions in hand-like tracks found plentifully in ancient
morasses, since turned into pesjit-beds. This animal borq a..stiikin<r
resemblance to our common toad-frog, though in size it equalled an ox^
Another strange creature was the Mylodon rohvMus (great mill-
stone toothed), somewhat like the megatherium, though very much
smaller, while its teeth and feet are different. President Jcffeivs)ii
found the bones of a mylodon on his farm in Western Virginia, to
which ho gave the name Megalonyx (great claw-nail), believhig thoiii
to have belonged to a species of lion. The mylodon was fui^nishcd
with a long, extensile tongue, like that of the giraffe, which, by one
of those beautiful provisions of nature, thus reaches its leafy food.
During this period two gigantic birds existed, but most strange to
relate, instead of being found upon a great continent, associated* vith
immense animals, which would appear their most natural haunt, they
were both confined to islands— one to New Zealand and the other
to Madagascar.
The discovery of these wonderful specimens of feathered creation
was made by the illustrious zoologists, Owen and Saint Hilaire, to
whom we are indebted for a description. One of these, the DinornU
(terrible bird), a skeleton of which is in the London College of Sin-
geons, stood eighteen feet high. The bone of li man's leg is only a
spindle compared with that of this colossal bird.
The disappearance of this monstrous bird dates from no distinct
epoch, and everything attests that the first inhabitants of New Zea-
J ,.,,j «T^T.n.tn!iiica uiiiiii. xiii; uiiuiuiit k!gen(is or liii'
island tell us that at the time of its discovery it was f ml of birds of
appalling size. There are ancient poems still recited by the New
i appeared, both
ugh, the species
day, while the
w them to havo
seeded in form-
es of armadillo
ud was covcM'od
a cuh-assed ap-.
3 time, and has
'n\]y in ai*c'ioiit
borq a.strikio''
equalled an ox.
(s (great mill-
igh very iimch
idont JofforM)ii
rn Virginia, to
believing thoiii
was furnisjicd
which, by one
its leafy food.
lost strange to
associated with
ral haunt, tlicv
and the other
hered creation
int Hilairo, to
, the DinornU
ollege of Sur-
j leg is only a
)m no distiiu't
5 of New Zea-
egendn of the
uil of birds of
d bv the New
407
wmmmmm
TH« DmOimiS-CTEiUUBLE BIRD),
408
SEA AND LAND.
Zealanders, in which the father teaches his son how to hunt the Moa
the name belonging of old to this species; in these are described
the ceremonies which took place when one had been killed. The peo-
pie feasted on the flesh and oggs, while the feathers were used for per-
sonal adornment. Some hills of the island are still strewn with the
bones of the dinornis, the remains of the great feasts of the hunters.
The Upiornis (great bird) was even of greater size than the di^
nornis. Its remains have been found nowhere except in Madagascar;
Aideed, no bones of this bird have even been found there, but an etrv
of the bird has been discovered which is now in the museum at Park
This egg is six times the size of an ostrich egg, and its shell more
than three-fourths of an inch in thickness. No bones of this feath-
ered giant having been discovered, science is unable, from its egcr, to
restore the skeleton, hence we can have no conception of its form!
A BIRD WITHOUT WINGS.
A single bone, found in a New Zealand water-course, was brou<^ht
1 to England and sent to
Professor Owen. It
belonged, he said, to a
wingless, tailless bird,
which was at least
twelve feet high ! Oth^"^
men of science thought
this to be impossible,
and tried to prevent
him from making his
opinion known. But
Professor Owen was
right, and a specimen of
the Apteryx (that is,
"wingless" bird) in due
course arrived at the Zoological Gardens in London, This strange
creature was nocturnal in its habits, and, if brought out into the light
of day, it ran here and there in search of cover. Wingless and tail-
less it was, standing upon legs like those of an ostrich, and with a
long bill that might belong to a stork. This long bill had more uses
than in the case of most birds. When its ungainly owner leaned
forward it was used as a support, and was also used to bore in the
mud fop worms, like our modern snipe. It is Bupposed to have be*
4
•
COMPARATIVE SIZE OF EGGS:
I too or IPIORNW.
a. CCM OF ONIOKIN.
3. caa OF OSTRICH.
4. Eaa OF HUMMINQ BIRD
to hunt the Moa,
Bse are described
killed. The peo-
vere used for pcr-
I strewn with the
ts of the hunters,
size than the di-
>t in Madagascar;
there, but an e^o-
museum at Paris.
nd its shell more
lies of this feath-
, from its egg, to
)n of its form.
THE WORLD ASHORE. ^q^
come extinct during the present century, but this is hardly a justifi-
able supposition, smce there is nothing in the tradition of Ihe native
New Zealanders that concerns this strange creature. This factleadl
to the more reasonable belief that the apteryx perished o/ he fLe
THI AITERVX, OR WIHOLKS BIRD Of KRW Z.ALAND,
Of earth many centuries ago, perhaps at th« ti„,. „f .u. ......
410
SEA AND LAND.
CHAPTER XXIII.
THE BIRTH OF MAN.
|HE most important event in the world's history took plaoo in
the quaternary period, one which has proved to be tlie most
wonderful climacteric unfolding of nature's scroll, pronomio-
ing the completion of her greatest work. This woiulerfu!
mile-stone in the progress of evolution was the birth of man. Wli:it
an ocean of mist rises before our vision when we attempt to look
back through the vale of years to man in his infancy. Revelation
does not satisfy the enquiry : " How came mankind upon the earth?"
The Mosaic records, the oldest of our written history, whether of
fable or fact, represent Western Asia as swarming with a population
already somewhat advanced in the ai'ts. Even the account of Gene-
sis, in describing the creation of our first parents and their children,
becomes confused by asserting that Cain, after killing Al)el, wcntinto
the Land of Nod, where he took a wife and founded a great city;
thereby implying that Adam and Eve were not, personally, the first
man and woman. It is more probable, as their names imply, that
they were only figuratively the first.
EVIDENCES OF OUR FIRST PARENTS.
The chief sources of our information respecting the earliest periods
of human existence are : 1st. The remains of man himself, which
have been found in caves, or buried in deposits of gravel or peat; 2d
Human works, of which we have the so-called Druidical monuments
of unhewn stone, called cromlechs, which have been found in England
and Ireland, and, I believe, also, in this country; 3rd. Implements,
moundi^and bones, the latter having evidently been crushed and even
rudely carved by the unpracticed hand of primeval man . But from the
first evidences we have of man's presence on the earth, we are bound
to c nclude that, though he was unclothed and unarmed by nature, yet
he was at once the greatest power, the mind masterful of creation.
Though he made his advent amid surroundings which would appear to
be least favorable to his existence, beset by the most ferocious of
animals, vastly larger than' those of to-day an'^ without means of
escape or defense, yet nature had provided him with a reasoning
power and thereby established him as king of all creation. But
■■■;•■■ i ■ til ( |4 li '
y took place in
to be the most
I'oll, pronounc-
Chis wonderful
f man. What
;tempt to look
Revelation
on the earth?"
ry, whether of
h a population
3ount of Gene-
their children,
f^ltel, went into
d a great city;
nally, the first
es imply, that
larliest periods
iimself , which
el or i)eat| 2(1
;jil monuments
nd in England
. Implements,
ished and even
But from the
we are bound
by nature, yet
il of creation.
:)uld ai)i)ear to
t ferocious of
lOUt moans of
L a reasoning
reation. But
411
412
SEA AND LAND.
picture our rude forefathers living in tlie rugged wastes of fairly
unorganized nature, hunting caves for shelter and subsisting upoi
roots, or, perchance, the flesh of some animal which accident threw in
their way. Then, again, behold them when some genius from amoiKr
their ranks devised their first weapon, the stone-hammer, and the
ponderous club ; with these they felt equipped to contend apiinst
beasts of prey, to attack the cave-bear, cave-lion, the hyena and other
savage creatures with which the earth swarmed.
In the geological history of man we find him mounting from lower
to higher manifestations in the progress of ages. The lower animals
progressed, also, but it was a structural advance, while with nian it
was education: A contention, not only with animals, upon which he
was largely dependent for food, but the evolution of genius, })y which
his condition was being constantly improved, until we behold this
king of creation still crowned, and with none to dispute his swav.
WHERE WAS THE GARDEN OF EDEN?
Geology, archaeology, or metaphysical speculation, do not properly
belong within the scope of this work, but I am sure my readers will
pardon me, for the sake of the great interest which is attached to the
subject, if I pursue the matter touched upon in the last few pages a
little farther.
For a long period of years men have been engaged in a search for
the origina) site of Eden, and, like Troy, it has never been conclu-
sively located. In 1882 there appeared a work entitled, "Atlantis;
or, the Antediluvian World," by Mr. Donnelly, which, in my estima-
tion, has shed more light upon this question than all the philosophers
who have preceded him. Briefly, Mr. Donnelly adopts the unfinished
story of Plato, who relates, through Critias, talking to Socrates, the
history of Atlantis. This country of Atlantis once occupied a greater
portion of what is now the Atlantic Ocean, from whence the name is
derived, and it is here, Plato tells us, the old sages affirmed was the
Garden of Eden. The proofs which Mr. Donnelly introduces to sus-
tain the legend are numerous, and at times startling. He shows that
there is more than mere coincidence in the similarity of civilization
which prevailed coincident in Europe, Egypt and Western Asia, and
North America, Mexico and Peru. This similarity consists in that
the people of all these countries had the same traditions respectitig
their origin, the deluge and disappearance of Atlantis; a unity in
their religious superstitions, worship of idols and of the sun, and, in
THE WORLD ASHORE.
413
ting from lower
le lower animals
lile with niiin it
, upon which he
genius, l)3Mvliicli
we behold this
ite his swav.
do not properly
my readers will
i attached to the
st few pa<res a
in a search for
er been conelu-
led, "Atlantis;
1, in myestiiiia-
he philosophers
8 the unfinished
:o Socrates, the
3upied a greater
nee the name is
flBrnied was the
troduces tosus-
He shows that
T of civilization
stern Asia, and
consists in that
:ions respecting
tis ; a unity in
the sun, and, in
addition to many other features of striking similitude, the very
alphabets were alike, so nearly so in some of the letters that we
mo tell« us that Atluuti. was, u. mighty country lyiu^g be^^ond th*,
414
SEA AND LAND.
pillars of Heracles (Hercules) ; that there our first parents were liorn :
that a numerous people were there developed, who jj^rew in art and
civilization until they had become greater than any in Egypt or Greece
had since grown; that it was ruled over by ten kings, ea.'h of whom
was possessed of a divine nature ; nevertheless, they builded the most
sumptuous palaces, and of gold there was scarcely any limit, for it
was a gi'eat commercial country, having thousands of ships, which
brought from the seaports of the realm the produce which wms luised
out of the soil in great abundance. There were ten immense cities in
Atlantis, over each of which ruled a king, but there was a kiutf over
these ten, whose name was Poseidon. His judgment was represented
as being omniscient, and all his- people virtuous. To sum up, theie
was never a country, befoi-e or since, where the people were so opu-
lent, the cities so magnificent, the soil so rich, and everything so con-
ducive to happiness as Atlantis. Amid all this prodigality of nature
and incentives to contentment, the people became at length discon-
tented and went to war among themselves. The country was finally
destroyed by a mighty deluge, but the particulars are not given in
Plato's story, which ends abruptly, for what reason we do not know.
The theory of Mr. Donnelly is, that ships went to and fro between
Atlantis — which was a real country, as Plato describes — and tlie
mainland of America, and not only by ships, but there was a land
connection between the southern extremity of the country and South
America, by which people passed between the two countries, and thus
were carried, to America and Europe alike, the relics of Atlantoan civ-
ilization. This wonderful island was destroyed by some mighty con-
vulsion, as hundreds of other islands have been submerged within
our own times, and the people were drowned, but Europe and Africa,
as well as Mexico and Central America, were already inhabited by the
descendants of the Atlanteans, and, though they possessed no written
history, they remembered and transmitted the story of their island and
preserved the traditions of their forefathers. Nearly all the names
in Greek mythology were characters in this story of Plato's, and the
same coincidence is true of the mythologic history of Central America.
THE GREAT DELUQE.
That there have been great cataclysms, by which not only cities
but continents have been overwhelmed, is affirmed by innuraerable
evidences, so positive as to preclude argument. But as to the lu'.iureand
effect; of these deludes there is a wide range of speculation, usually
nts were horn :
rew ill art and
<rypt or Greece
ea^'h of whom
lilded the most
iiy limit, for it
if ships, which
bich w:i8 liiised
menso eitie* in
as a kiuii over
'as represented
sum up, there
le were so opu-
•ythiiij; so eon-
ality of nature
length diseon-
itry was finally
3 not given in
e df) not know.
nd fro between
ibes — and the
;re was a land
iitry and South
itries, and thus
' Atlantean civ-
ile mighty coii-
mei'ged within
pe and Africa,
diabited by the
5sed no written
heir island and
'• all the names
'lato's, and the
sntral America.
not only cities
y innumerable
I thenclnreand
i)ation, usually
i.
'I'
«( 'I
416
BEA AND LAND.
taking tho form of legends, some of which are very ancient but no
less interesting.
Berosus, writing of the Chaldeans, says they held to the belief
that the world is periodically destroyed by cataclysms and cosiflnifra-
tlons ; a belief, no doubt, founded upon the same evidences that wore
used in the compilation of the Pentateuch. But they even attempted
to predict the periodicity of the^o disasters, fixing their altei'nate re-
currence at twenty-one thousand and twenty-six thousand years, a
period corresponding to the time occupied in the retrograde movement
of the stars through one complete circumference — a phenomenon
due to the precession of the equinoxes. This period was called tho
annus magnus, or great year. After the earth's destruction was com-
plete, they believed it was renewed after the manner of its birth and
evolution.
Plato says the Egyptians held that the heavens and earth were
originally a chaotic pulp, from which the eiem.ents separated of their
own accord; that fire sprang from the upner regions, and set the
earth in motion, when life proceeded. The sun fructified the earth,
and caused innumerable living creatures to come forth from the plas-
tic mud, from whence they took their natural positions, whether in
the air, water, or upon land. But man had no pre-eminence of birth,
for he, too, sprang from the mud banks of the Nile. They also had
a great year, v.hich, according to Ov^ ?eus, was one hundred and
twenty thousand years, but Cassander computed it at three hundred
and sixty thousand years. At the end of this great cycle the Egyp-
tians believed the world was destroyed by fire or water ; but this
destruction was more in the nature of regeneration, for, though ail
life was obliterated, there immediately came forth a purified order of
creation again, so that the world was always being repeopled by
creatures superior to those they succeeded.
HINDOO THEORY OF OliEATION.
The Hindoo cosmogony — theory of crea||on — which contained
the germ of the theory taught by western nations, makes prominent
the doctrine of catastrophes and rejuvenation. The Institutes of
Menu says : "The first sole cause thinks within himself, I will create
worlds." Folhkwing the bidding of thfi celestial mandate, the waters
are brought into being, over the surfaSte of which moves Brahma, the
creator. (Moses says: "And God moved upon the face of the
Wiitors;" an expression aud idea strikingly similar). Brahma next
iincieut but no
1 to the belief
and couflaj^^ra-
iiices that were
5ven attempted
V altei'iiate re-
isand yeaiis, a
rade movement
a phenomenon
was called tho
3tion was com-
f its birth and
,nd earth were
arated of their
IS, and set tlui
fied the earth,
from the plas-
ns, whether in
nence of birth,
They also had
3 hundred and
three hundred
ycle the Egyp-
rater ; but this
for, though ail
Lirified order of
; repeopled by
hich contained
ikes prominent
e Institutes of
If, I will create
iate, the waters
es Brahma, the
le face of the
Brahma mit
418
8EA AND LAND.
iiii
divides the land and water, and establishes a firmament over both.
His next work is the vivification of earth, which is mude to briufi;
forth, in their order, phints, animals, celestial creatures, and, lastly,
man. From Brahma spring forth all the elements ; the sun from his
eye, the air from his ear, tire from his mouth, while from his month,
arm, thigh and foot proceed the founders of the chief Hindoo castes.
After his period of energy expended in creating, Brahma seeks repose,
and sleeps oJie day^ but this one day corresponds to four thousaiul
three hundred and twenty millions of years of our time, at the end
of which period the world is destroyed by fire. The flames of tho
burning world are quenched by a torrent rainfall of one hundred
years, when the waters overspread the earth and rise to the heavens.
During this time the world is a waste of boundless waters and impen-
etrable darkness. Vishnu ndw appears, and with his breath drives
away the clouds of darkness and pours a flood of light upon the
liquid world, when Brahma is revealed reposing on his serpent courh
upon the deep. As soon as the deity (Brahma) awakes from ins
slumber, he at once renews the world and all that it contained ; thus
at each period, called a kalpa, the world is destroyed and re-created,
but at the end of one hundred years, each consisting of three hundred
and sixty kalpas, and each kalpa of four thousand three hundred and
twenty millions of years (1,555,200,000,000), Brahma himself, and all
things with him, will cease to exist.
Among the Jews there has been extant, from time immemorial, a
prophecy that the world was destined to enduro 6,000 years — 2,000
before the flood, 2,000 under ihe law, and 2,000 under the Messiah.
PERIODICAL DESTRUCTION OF THE EARTH.
From the East the doctrine of periodical destruction of the earth
found its way, with the migration of mun, into Europe. The Per-
sians, Chaldeans, Egyptians and Phoenicians adopted it in We.sterii
Asia and in Africa, while the " Orphic Hymns " afford us the earliest
germination of the Eastern faith in Greece. Orpheus and Menander,
who flourished in the very twilight of Greek poetry and civilization,
and who undoubtedly derived their philosophy from the Egyptians,
reproduce the myth of the Great Year, and teach that the world is
destined to be destroyed on the completion of that period.
Tn the Sibvlline books /'which Farouin. the nroud. bought from «
sibyl , under the belief thajT they contained the prophecies foretell-
ing the fate of Rome) whose origin, at least, antedates by 1,300 years
lent over both,
niudo to l)rinir
res, and, liiHtly,
10 sun from his
mm his mouth,
' Hindoo castes,
iia seeks repose,
four thousand
me, at the end
e flames of the
)f one hundred
to the heavens.
ters and inipen-
8 breath drives
light upon the
s serpent coudi
rvakes from his
iontained ; thus
and re-created,
f three hundred
eo hundred and
.himself, andull
•
s immemorial, a
lO years — 2,000
ler the Messiah.
on of the eurth
»pe. The Pei-
i it in Western
'd us the earliest
and Menander,
md civilization,
the Egyptians,
bat the world is
riod.
. bought from n
phecies foretell-
s by 1,300 years
a9
A FAMIty OF THK STONK AGE.
420
SEA AITD LAND.
our present era, pronounce the same belief as expressed in the Iiisti-
tutes of Menu. In these ipystic verses it is set forth that the world
will endure only ten ages, the first of which in the Golden Age. The
earth will be swallowed up by flames during this period, but forthwith
will the Golden Age return again; the earth will be regenerated and
produce her crops spontaneously; the lion and lamb will lie down to-
gether; grapes will grow upon thorn-bushes, and a royal vintage will
be at hand.
The Stoics who, through Zeno, derived their doctrine of ^asm'e?ie.s,?
from the Phoenicians, and were its principal advocates among the
Greeks, maintained that the earth would be destroyed by a conflagra-
tion. This calamity would occur, they said, •« when the sun and stars
shall have drunk up the sea." In speaking of the restoration of tho
world the Stoics make use of almost the identical terms used in the
Bible, which is another coincidence we cannot overlook. Chrysippus
calls it '♦ Apocatastasis-restitution " — as St. Peter does in Acts. Mar-
cus Antonius several times uses the term «' Palingenesia" — regenera-
tion in the same connection as does our Saviour in Matthew and
also Paul in his epistle to Titus.
The philosophy of Pythagoras was very similar to that of Zeno
and the Phoenicians, which, like the latter, was also borrowed from
Persia and India. Tlie Epicureans entertained a similar belief respect-
ing the periodical destruction of the earth. Plato, while not com-
batting the theories of older philosophers, was more progressive; he
expresses the belief that the oarth is subject to wonderful triinsform-
ations due to conflagrations and deluges, but says the idea of Gcd
destroying so beautiful a creation as the world, as a whole, is repug-
nant to him.
Aristotle was the first philosopher to teach the indestructihility of
matter, and in his discoveries and writings was proud of the distinc-
tion of being at variance with the unanimous belief of antiquity.
Among the Romans, Lucretius, Lucan, and even Ovid, laid u^ide
his amorous verse to discourse upon the doctrine of periodical catas-
trophes. Cicero, tha very echo cave of eloquence, and a man of
profound erudition, declared that the remembrance of valorous deeds
and ffreat men can only exist for a measurable time, since confliigra-
tions and deluges periodically destroy every record of human achieve-
ments. The Celts, if we are to believe Strabo, believed in the same
haditions in ttie West of Europe, and the Druids wei-e firm beiieren
same is rei
THE WORLD ASttOltli.
421
In the perpetuity of the earth through its periodic regeneration bv
fire and water. ^
The fable of the Phoenix, prevalent among the people of Arabia
and India, IS purely an allegory of the world's death and revivifica
tion. So 1.S that of the fabled eagle, which in age soars so near the sun
as to renew its youth. David refers to this belief in Psalms in the
followmg passage: - Thy youth is renewed like the ease's " The
same is rendered by the Chaldee: « Thou shalt renew thy youth like
the eagle in the world to come."
SIMILARITY IN THE AZTEC AND MOSAIC CHRONICLES.
It 18 somewhat singular that all the nations of the eastern hemis-
pheie, from time immemorial, taught the destruction of the earth
periodically by fire and water, as we have seen by the traditions and
works referred to, but our surprise is very much increased when we
learn that the same beliefs were entertained by the Aztecs, the most
ancient people of Northern South America and Mexico. Humboldt
fir.st directed our attention to this marvelous coincidence of tradition
The followmg account of creation is taken from the Book of Quinches
of Guatemala also called the Popol Vuh. Its remarkable conformance
to the style and description of the Mosaic account will atf once appear-
"There was not yet a single man; not an animal; neither birds"
nor fishes, nor crabs, nor wood, nor stone, nor ravines, nor herbs, nor
forests; only the sky existed. The face of the land was not seen-
here was only the silent sea and sky. • • • There was nothing
that stood upright; nought there was but the peaceful sea; -the sea
silent and solitary in its limits; for there wns nothing that was. *
Those who fecundate, those who give being, are upon the waters
l.Ke a glowing light. • * • While they consulted the day broke,
and at the moment, of dawn man appeared. • • • Thus thev
br''lF''^!'.''%T^ ^'■"'- '^'"^ ^"'^^^*^« -^^'^ ^«-e into
'>eing. «Earth, said they, and the earth existed. Like a fog like a
joud was Its formation ; as huge fishes rise in the waters, so rose the
mountuu.s; and in a moment the high mountains existed.
should he formed. At that time spake he who gives life, and he who
gives form, the Maker and Moulder, named Te.fau, GueumaT^: .Thl
niibirT "•"'i^ '"' """'^ '' ^*"'"* ^^^ supporter, the servant is^enl
d; he is the son of light, the child of whiteness; man is hon-
ored . the race of man is on the ea.th ;' so they spoke. • • •
422.
THE WORLD ASHOBB.
423
jr.-
Immediately Ihey began to speak of making our first mother and our
father. Only of yellow corn and of white corn were their flesh, and
the substance of the arms and legs of man. They were called simply
beings, formed and fashioned; they had neither father nor mother;
we call them simply men. Woman did not bring them forth, nor
were they born of the Moulder or Builder, of Him who fecundates
and of Him who gives being. But it was a miracle, an enchantment
worked by the Maker and Moulder, by Him who fecundates and Him
who gives being.
"Thought was in them; they saw; they looked around; their
vision took in all things; they perceived the world ; they cast their
eyes from the sky to the earth. • * • Then they were asked by
the Builder and Moulder, 'What think ye of your being? See ye
not? Understand ye not? Your language, your limbs, are they not
good? Look around beneath the heavens; see ye not the mountains
and the plains?*
"Then they looked, and saw all that there was beneath the heavens
and th«v <ra. thanks to the Maker and the Moulder, saying, « Truly,
twice )ree times, thanks I We have being ; we have been given
amo^..iund face; we speak; we understand; we think ; we walk ;
we feel and we know that which is far and that which is near. All
great things and small, on the earth and in the sky, do we see. Thanks
to thee, O Maker, O Moulder, that we have been created, that we
have our being. O our grandmother, O our grandfather.' "
In their other books, which I have not space to quote from, the
Aztecs taught that eternity was not in continuity, but divided by
mighty events which occurred periodically during every cycle of
several thousands of years. One of these events they taught was a
cataclysm that swept every thing from off the face of the earth; and
anolherwas the sun being blotted from the heavens only to be re-
kindled after all things had perished.
The unanimity in the belief of the doctrine of periodical catastrophes
must proceed from one of two causes : 1st. A catastrophe such as the
delage, which Moses describes, must have taken place—not, however,
universal-and the remembrance of it was preserved by traditions
among people^as they scattered to all qrarters of the globe— such as
istnadG probable hy Donnelly's theory of the iost Atlantis; or, 2d.,
there have been similar catastrophes of flood and fire in aU parts of
the earth, but at each time only local. The probabilities are alto-
MAN OF THE REINDEER EPOCH.
424
THE WOBLO A8HOEE.
425
i;eth.r fuvorable to the flret theory, becaase th. coincidence of tradi
.,o„» «,spectn.g the destruction of the earth i. no more .i,!^,I. hln
the co,„c,dence ,n the history of creation, fable, tradition relil"
.„d c v,hzat,on as we find then, related in the histories of tl e p ! I
„f both hen,„pheres. All these evidences bespealc a common „,«„
.ad the theory advanced by Mr. Donnelly is, therefore, a ve.y sC
C10U8, not to say logical and satisfactory one.
CHAPTER XXIV. '
HISTORICAL DELUGES.
^EOLOGISTS have conclnsively established the fact <,f three
^ delnges, tw o of which occurred before the appearance
•^ of man and a third after his creation. The first ,vL
wh oh flooded all Northern Europe. Occurring in an intensely ™W
"■S.on the sweeping waves carried with them enormous fields ofte
J ,ch mcreased the terrors of their destructive force. The second
Muge was caused by the-uphoav.l of the Alps, and overwhelmed '»
0 Southern Europe, but sine, the waves whiih'washedov 1" to '
the fit T?^ "'"■™' "" '''' "-^ •■^'"" ™» "<" --^b' s . powerfu
t e first deluge ; yet its effects are seen in a wonder ul clL,^, of
tl.e topography of all the land inundated. Both of these caarvsmf
«re produced by the contraction of the earth's crus , "oX 3
he e,plos„m of confined gases, which rent the womb of the cL.tt
p THE OKOIAL DELUDE.
Bat ( ,e last of these two cataclysms was followed bv . th;„l
Xs '«:""'"' '■" ''-'™^-'™- -<• awful;;! /both ut
I ad?„.? • """ "P"" "•" *'"•"'' ''"t o™nipotence did not e^!
ad a p otectmg arm even to him, and he was swept away Uke M
oth^er ...mate th.ngs wherever the mighty force was e'xerteZ
.mlT'T "'^ ""' "' "'""•' •""' °f i™. « f'-eezin.. cold thit be
xtded""'Trc"'':'T'' r"^"-"-? ">'"*-- wherever U^iA,^:
neaded. The Central and Northern parts of Europe and of North-
426
MBA AND tAND.
ern Asia, tvhich had possessed a mild, if not warm climate, were
suddenly enveloped with intense cold. Like the blizzard that visits
the warm State of Texas, in a moment and without warning, so swept
the frigid wave over the northern portions of the Eastern hemis-
phere, and, as many geologists maintain, it inundated a large portion
of North America also, extending as far south as New York. It was
during this awful visitation of nature's wrath, as it appeared, that
the mammoth, woolly rhinoceros, cave-bear, and other gigantic ani-
mals, were crushed out of existence, to be known no more forever;
man, too, suffered a like loss, though not extinction, for it is a pe-
culiarity of human nature to exist in every section of the earth,
whether hot or cold, moist or dry, so that his race endures and sur-
vives the catastrophes of sections.
But what caused this intense cold? Ab, there science even pauses,
unable to make reply, though' theories are not wanting, the most sat-
isfactory of which is one advanced by the great French mathemati-
cian, M. Adhemar, whose reasonings are so specious that I am sure
my readers will be interested in reading them, especially since it is
not impossible that another glacial castrophe may visit us.
CAUSE OF THE GREAT C'.ACIAL CATASTROPHE.
Not a few scientists have urged that the f jdden development of
iritense cold was due to the concussion of comets, wherfby the sun
lost for a time its calorific powers, or the earth was drive i from its
natural orbit and fell under influences which prevented the sun's heat
from reaching it.
But M. Adhemar dismisses these theories as untenable, and boldly
advances a new one, which has had the support of very competent
writers. His theory, in brief, is this: We know that our planet is
animated by two essential movements; ore of rotation on its axis,
which it accomplishes in twenty-four hours ; the other of translation,
which is performed in three hundred and sixty-five days. But besides
these two prominent and generally observed motions, there is a third,
and even a fourth, but with one of which, called nutation, we do not
need to concern ourselves. The other motion is the one on which
M. Adhemar bases his theory. Of this theory Mangin says :
*« We know that the curve described by the earth in its annual rev-
olution round the sun is not a circle, but an ellipse; that is, a circle
slightly elongated, sometimes called a circle of two centers, one of
which is occupied by the sun. This curve is called the ecliptic. We
THE WORLD ASHORE.
427
knor, also that in its movement of translution the earth presei-ves
the plane of the eehpfc. But in place of being perpendieular. or at
nght angles w,th this plane, it erosses it obliquely in sueh a male
« to form on one side an angle of o„e-f onrth, and on the other an
A GLACIAL DELUGE.
.nglo of three-fonrths of a .jght angle. This inclination is only
Itered m an mMgn.flcant degree by the movement of n,.t..i„„ \
^■w seai^ieiy add that the earth, in its annual revolution "o'ecunies
^ Ota ly four principal posit.ons on the ecliptic, Jl'Z7Z
Uonta of the four se^aous. When its center is at the extremity most
428
ftSA Ain> LAKt>.
remote from the sun, or aphelia, it is the summer solstice for tlio
northern hemisphe'e. When its center is at the other ordreniit^, or
perihelia, the same hemisphere is -it the winter solstice. 1'lie two
intermediate points mark the equinoxes of spring and autumn. The
great circle of separation of light and shade passes, then, piecisely
through the poles, the day and night are equal, and the line <^f intoi-
section of the plane of the equator and that of the ecliptic make part
of the vector (radius vector, an ideal straight lino joining the center
of an attracting body with that of a body describing an orbit round
it) ray from the center of the sun to the center of the earth— what
we call the equinoctial line.
Thus placed, it is evident that i*" the terrestrial axis remained al-
ways parallel to itself, the equinoctial line would always pass tiuouirh
the point on the surface of t<ie globe. But it u not absolutely tlius.
The parallelism of the axis of the earth is destroyed slowly, verv
slowly, by a movement which Arago ingeniously compares to the
inclined turning of a top. This movement has the effect of uiakin^
the equinoctial points on the surface of the earth retrogade toward
the east from year to year, in sucL a manner that at the end of twenty-
five thousand eight hundred years according to some astronomers, but
twenty-one thousand years according to Adhemar,* the equinoctial
point has literally made a tour of the globe, and has returned to the same
position which it occupied at the beginning of this immense period,
which has been called the Great Year. It is this retrogade revolu-
tion in which the terrestrial axis describes round its own center that
revohition round a double conic surface, which is known as the pre-
cession of the equinoxes. It was obsei-ved two thousand years ago hy
Hipparchus; its cause wj, discovered by Newton, and its complete
evolution explained by D'Alembert and Laplace.
CYCLE OF THE GREAT YEAR.
*♦ Now, we know that the consequence of the inclination of the
terrestrial axis upon the plane of the ecliptic is :
*• 1. yhat the seasons are inverse to the two hemispheres, that is
to say, the northern hemisphere enjoys its spring and summer, while
the southern hemisphere passes through autumn and winter.
'• 2. It is when the earth approaches nearest to the sun that our
hemisphere has its autumn and winter, and that the recrioiis near the
•This is a striking confirmation of the Chaldean belief In the periodic destruction of the «»rth,
and even of the time they calculated that the oyole is acoompiislied.
)tice for the
.ftreniit^, or
3. The t'Vd
itumn. Tlie
en, i)rec'isely
iiie of intci-
ic make part
g the center
orbit round
arth — what
•emained al-
)ass thi'ouirh
)lutely thus.
slowly, very
are.s to the
t of making
^ade toward
1 of tweiity-
nomers, but
equinoctial
I to the same
nse period,
fade revolu-
center that
as the pre-
ears ago hy
ts complete
ition of the
res, that is
imer, while
ir.
jn that our
lis near the
m of the evtb,
480
BEX AKD LAND.
pole, receiving none of the solar rays, are plunged into darkness ap-
proaching that of night during six months.
♦• It is when the earth is most distant from the sun, when much the
greater half of the ecliptic intervenes between it and the focus of
li/?ht and heat, that the pole, being now turned toward the focu
constantly receives its rays, and when the re«t of the northern honiisi
phere enjoys its long days of spring and summer.
*♦ Bearing in mind that, in going from the equinox of sprinj. to
that of autumn of our hemisphere, the earth traverses a much loinrer
curve than it does on its return; bearing in mind, also, the acceler-
ated movement it experience in its approach to the sun from the
attraction, which increases in inverse proportion to the square of its
distance, we arrive at the conclusion that our summer should be
longer and our winter shortpr than the summer and winter of our
antipodes; and this is aciwa% the case by about eight days.
♦♦I say actually, because if we now look at the effects of the pre-
cession of the equinoxes, we shall see that in a time equal to half of
the grand year, whether it be 12,900, according to the astronomers,
or 10,500 years according to M. Adhemar, the conditions will be re-
versed; the torrestial axis, and consequently the poles, will have ac-
complished the half of their bi-conical revolution of the center of the
earth. It will then be the northern hemisphere which will have the
summers shorter and the winters longer, and the southern hemisphere
exactly the reverse. In the year 1248 before the Christian era, ac
cording to M. Adhemar, the north pole attained its maxinjum summer
duration. Since then, that is to say for the last 3112 years, it has
begun to decrease ; and this will continue till theyear 7388 of our
era before it attains its maximum winter duration.
*♦ But the reader may ask, fatigued, perhaps, by these abstract con-
siderations, what is therohere in common with the deluges?
" The grand year is here divided for each hemisphere into two
great seasons, which De Jouvencel calls the great summer and winter,
which, according to M. Adhemar, are 10,500 years each.
♦* During the whole of this period one of the poles has constantly
had shorter winters and longer summers than the other. It follows
that the pole which submits to the long winters undergoes a gradual
and continuous cooling, in consequence of which the quantities of ice
and snow, which melt during the summer, are more than compensated
by that which is again produced in the winter. The ice and snow go
THE WORLD ASHOBE.
431
on aocumdatm^ from year to year, and finish at the end of th«
penod, l>y forming at the coldest pole, a sort of crust or cap vo
um-nous. th.ck and heavy enough to modify the spheroidal form of"
the earth. This modiHcation. as a neeessary consequence, pr^^^^^^^
notable disphicement of the center of gravitv or fn. il ^'^"''"f®^ »
the same thino- r.f *k x . g'^**^"y» or— for it amounts to
tne same thmg—of the center of attn-ction, round which all th«
toward wh,ch the watery mas.es all tended until hey covered nealv
th whole 0 the southern hemisphere. But »ince that dute our " It
w,D ter has beeu n. progress. Our pole, iu its turn, goes on IttTn '
cooler contmually ; the ice is being heaped upon the snow 7J ^
unon ifp nnfl in 7^«a ., 41 "f"" ine snow, and snow
upon ice, anu in 7d88 years t ' 0 center of gruvitv of tho «....*», « -n
turn to its normal position "^^ch J. fhf ^ f. , "^'^ ''^'
.Dhfirnid V«iu • * '^'"" ^^ ^'^ the geometrical center of the
spheroid, iollov ,ng the immutable laws of central attraction th!
southern watcus accruing from the melted ice and snow of thT "ou^^^
pole w, 1 return to invade and overwhelm onc-e more theclinentsoi
he northern hemisphere, giving birth to new continents in .1 nrohl
bihty, in the southern hemisphere." ^^®*'*"
SHALL THE EARTH BE AGAIN DESTROYED?
heavals follow a prog^-essively aseerd ;: a 'we^arrte edT
expect new outbursts and moreterrible convulsi. nl Manhas indin '
srr ^^'^r^^^^ .tti::ri:Lrg,rra'
^zx erutd,°:dt srL^ry t"" f ^'^
undulated nlf ;;,, ■.l''..?^"' ".'"'"<'""• O""-? "-is time the earth
™«« «.d fell a"»ain "^^^i^u '" "."""1""" ' ti-^sands of small hills
are, led-hot stones and ashes were violently discharged to
I
48t
ABA AKD LAND.
prodigious heights. Six mountainii surged up from the gaping gulf ;
among whieli the volcano of Joiullo, which rises two thousand one
hundred and fifty feet above the unuient plain, is the most pioui-
nent.
At the moment when the earthquake commenced, the two riv<'rs of
Cuitimho und San Pedro flowed backward, inundating all the plain
now occupied by Jorullo ; but in the upheaving region, while it con-
tinued to rise, a gulf opened and swallowed the rivers. They reap-
peared to the west, but at a point very distant from their ancient bod.
This inundation remind'* us of the phenomena — though on a small
scale — which attended the Mosaic deluge.
In contemplating these mighty convulsions we realize how insig-
nificant man is ; he who wins eternal fame for the rearing of such
structures as the pyramids, while the hand of God passes over the
sea and dries it up ; or, with a breath bursts the cinctures of earth,
and as a child throws a ball into the air, so d.)es the great hand of
nature toss up mountains, break down the crags, and plough up rav-
ines for river beds.
SHALL MAN BE 8U00EEDED BY A HIOHER ORDER OF OREATION?
To think of man compared with the elements by which he is sur-
rounded, remembering at the time how species have developed, the
curiously inclined cannot help inquiring, shall man be succeeded by a
greater? Is the query not reasonable? M. Louis Figuier has written
a beautiful passage on this subject which is worthy of repeated quo-
tation: "Is it not possible," he says, "that. man may bo a step in
the ascending and progressive scale of animated beings? The divine
power which strewed on earth life, sensation and thought; which gave
to the plant organization ; to the animal movement, sensation and
intelHgence ; to man, besides these manifold gifts, the faculty of rea-
son, doubled by the power of aiming at the ideal, perhaps proposes to
itself to create one day, along with man, or after him, a still superior
being. This new creature, which modern religion and poetry appear
to have foreseen in the etherial and radiant type of the Christian
angel, would be provided with moral faculties, the nature and essence
of which elude our understanding.
«» We ought to satisfy ourselves with laying down this redoubtable
nrnhlem without attemptinff to resolve it. This great mystery, to
use the beautiful expression of Pliny, is concealed in the majesty of
nature, or, beMvr, \m tbe Mioug^ und omnipotVnciB of the Greatot of
werlds."
TBr, WORLD ASROni!.
4.<)3
Bremwr treata this innnii-v «;*i, _
•■ It m»v 8iill 1,„ ,.; ?^ more seriousness, hy sayine'
u may still ho iresuiiied, supijosiiiir ihere sIk.mI,! kJ -•J' 'g-
change, that beings more perfect l,„fhl i "^'"' ''"'"™'
clhrg ones will bo coatof In n ,". ""'' '''"""^''<' ^""" P'-«-
. J.erasfi,tyt:«: ;'i;,X :dir„ ::it:,r T''-""'""
time, mind and ,omo,in,os nmtlr prJdonn ,7e" i^'""'""''-
creation, snpposing that in which „„ n Z ZZ no, ","", ''',•"""
there would probably bo or^nizrfio,,^ ^° '""^f ""» '" l'" the last,
more freely, and where it Ifud! ' """ ""'"' """'<' "^^
twenty-five It rosuUs fZ 1 'V '""';""'»■>-'' -venty-tive to
.™e^at the ntost pali^^i^'x^: :r'::;' ^ M:r
:rn::,:!C:r::^":;r;t"':^'\"-^
tacy such is ,r„t the e" e M w l',! r"!"; """'?'' l''"'<"<'Pl>-»
.11 that exists, and ea^ « ,„^1 to ., 'i " "'" '*'•''' '»""'» <"
tie. he would Lot have 1^ ■ i . "„ l^ „ ,' J^.tT". "''"r'""' '•"""■
which, on the other hand, vouid bT," i ^ : h;::,'':;" ""'"•
dowcd with a more extended mind " ° "''■" '""
ae negative, but he discourses too profoundiv, tho„.rl, in .|clnt
l.»gaage. In the evolution of all anin.ate thine, we perceive , o ^
.dvancement a.nong other animals as i, observed im^" ""d his T
gressive state is so wonderful that tl.n,.„i P'""
.Kluded from the broth^ho.^^^'tt'c:,:!,.:;';' ^'■"' ""•" "" '""'" '
CHAPTER XXV.
WONDERS OF NATURE.
ffi have brieSv „„,ieod some of the most important event,
™'"«l' have transpired in the world's hisiorv 7 .i.
^ peculiar phases the earth has assum:!,' i ^'^^^.^
J^, ""' » """'"I""' »»d chaotic mass to th. I J." " '" "
^, "eo'es, aeteats and tnumphs, which,
434
8GA AND LASTD.
however, are but the prototypes of the conflicts in every one's life.
If there were mysteries in the handiwork of nature, so are there niys-
teries on every side of us now, for we are still walking in the valley
of shadows, but jocund day stands tip-toe on the misty mountain top
of civilization's hope, and the blessings of a propitious Providenco lie
in our way.
The beauties of nature are like the variable scenes in a kaleidoscope,
ever unfolding new objects for our admiration and pleasure. Witli
these it shall now be my pleasant duty to deal ; to describe some of
the innumerable wonderful things in creation ; for, though niaiiv
species of animal and plant life have been crushed into extiiution h\
the display of destructive agencies in nature, yet others remain in
abundance to remind us how marvelous are the designs, and how oim-
fl ning is the handiwork of na-
ture, for as she pulls down
one noble structure she builds
again upon the foundation .i
grander one, and thus do we
perceive the way which leads
from nature to nature's God.
In the olden days it was not
only believed that the Phanix
bird renewed its youth
through the ordeal of tire, but
the salamander was consider-
ed ft fire reptile by universal
belief. These fables havcliad
their day, and none are now so ignorant as to give them credence.
But is the element of fire destitute of life? A great majority of
ocientists make answer in the affirmative, but there are not wantiiiir
many wise philosophers who assert the probability of existence even
in the flames. In the early part of the year 1885, a subterranean
body of water was discovered by some miners in Colorado ; by the
aid of torches it was also discovered that the lake — for such it
was — was fairly swarming with fish, although the temperature of tlic
water was nearly 200°, quite high enough to have cooked tliciji.
The fish, several of which were iakeu by means of dip-neis, were
covered with dull scales, and with the exception of being slimmer,
bore a close resemblance to our common carp. Upon being put into
ANIMALS BELIEVED TO BE INDESTRUCTIBLE BY FIRE:
A. TArtDIQRAOI.
ROTIFCRA.
O. ANOUILLULA.
Hi!;- 1
THE WORLD ASHORE. 435
till- wonderful thing as a fact of my own knowledge, but it was re-
ported shortly after the discoveiy in many seientifi"c onrnalsTnd I
have never seen it disputed. "'""is, ana l
A iiuniber of years ago (1841) the question of universality of life
was debated with sueh warmth in Paris, that a distinguished zolli't
«, indueed to make an experiment with some infiliia whi.h hid
been considered by a few as being practically indestructible by heat
He accordingly chose some microscopic tardigrades, rotifcra, and at:
guilluto and attaching them to a bulb of his thermometer thrust
heat of 312 Fab for a few moments, when, upon withdrawing them
hey were found to l,e alive. It is only proper to state, h^weve"'
at quite a number of scientists have also shown that de icatron o^
the tardigmdes occurs at a temperature of 17r Fab. M. PoLlet
w lie discrediting the theory of existence in fire and of revivifica o" '
which many formerly maintained, says • wivincation,
"Itistrue weare in our day, obliged to erase the charmin.. ro-
mance of palingenesis (regeneration), with which our foShe™
..nused themselves. Still, we must say that, although the rot ^t™
«,,ot be resuscitated when they are once dead, their°tenacfty o nf!
IS one of the most extraordinary phenomena. Their resistancJ .^
<» d IS something marvelous, and we don'tknow ev™ vh t top
it:::rir::re;!::::;„rthr^
Je^ cold Which woL kiU^ra^rndre^ttroTerKo-tilr
placed 11, an apparatus where the temperature was 40" below zero'
M., issue from it full of vitality. The natural history of the Zti
seeatoiJvrtL'ir'atmarnrdTunTbr ilTlUi^T T
t>vo.fold test and formidable transition from coW t " l^ th'e m"
tionof thetiss„«««7th!^ • f ""/"^ ™P'a couiraction and di lata-
not rupture W ^'"'"' *" "'^^^ *'^^ '^'''^ ^"^^i-^^'d' did
436
SEA AND LAND.
LANTERN INSECTS.
Whether there are animals so organized as to be indestructible by
heat may remain a disputed question, but we do know that there are
insects capable of producing light at will, and these are scarcely less
wonderful than the rrtiferee.
Every one is acquainted with the Lampyris, our common glow-
worm, or fire-fly, which make the summer nights so beautiful with
their flashing lanterns. But there are other insects that produce a
light far superior to our fire-fly. The great lantern-fly of India can
supply a light which is quite strong enough to read by. In this in-
stance the light emanates from the head, instead of fiom the lower
body, as in the fire-fly. In the Antilles the Coloeptera^ the fire-I)u<^
of that region, is of great use, being employed in place of lamps by
the poorer people. In Cuba it is the custom of women to enclose
^|f|
THE GREAT LANTERN -FL\.
these insects in glass cages, where they emit light enough to work by.
Travelers there, also, when j^assing through the wood bv night, affix
a fite-beetle to each of their feet, by which their way is uirly lighted.
The Creoles are given to the practice of deftly arranging these lumin-
ous insects in their liair, where they produce a dazzling effect superior
to jewels. The legresses, at their nocturnal dances, scatter lliem
over their niry garments, where, in their lascivious movements, their
bodies assume the appearance of being robed in flames. How this
natural light is provided, science is unable to tell us.
MARVELS OF IN8E0T LIFE -THE BOMBARDIER.
In considering the wonders of creation, we cannot overlook the
little world of insects, for here we shall find the most remarkable
THE WORLD ASHOHE. , ^3,
things that nature l,a, designed, nealure, not alon, „f marvelou,
.W«,ance and o,g„ni.a,i„„s, but of degrees of intelli "n la "d
ad.|,tafon qu.te as phenomenal. The handrwork of nature Um,wl.jf
™,.ecun.„,g,ha„ in the in.ect division of life, and w L^^ ve oT
side, the ransfo,,„ations which many of the little v,i„.edc Matures"
audergo, the Innit of extraordinary wo,,der seems "o hJl k
reached. The mosquito, hut.erfly , eairpiliata: Zr' nsect! wh!:h
.re co„.mou to us, pass through stages of existence, sometimes erne t
■ag fmm one element to enter immediately another directly oppositf
e gammg >v,ngs only to lose them again, and thus travelinAl^rorh
l,fe as though endowed byson.e j,enewith the magical power"of meS,
morphosis at will. - " l^"*>«f oi meta-
A CALOBOM. PURSCNG A BOMBARO.HR. WHO ,S KIRING IN RHTREAT.
But while these radical changes fairly bewilder „. wJfi,
thinc^thm fho V,hu ; . , '"^"'*' " ™0'"e wonderful
"-""io man tne little insect nronerlv cillcfl fJio »^«.7 i-
dipi- win, k:„ 1 ' • " ''"^ 'tiombardier,a real sol-
aei, with his arms alwavs to hand and well lo-irlnH? t^i
cid..,,,,'; n.:..^"^."" ■'^""^<' "l-'y ""P-' ft"- tlK'ir intestines an
a true „,,;,.;":: ■::;t:.r.'!!:=l"':'''''<': «■'«'■ " ^"."1.^ detonation, lilce
gun loaded with a grain of powder. It
always well stored, so that it is al
le to fire as
s magazine is
many as thirty-six dis-
438
SEA AND LAND.
charges in quick succession, before having to renew its supply. Sev-
eral of these curious iusects, when collected together, will sometimes
fire their guns together, and again in regular succession, like a tile of
soldiers firing from the left or right.
ASTOUNDING INTELLIGENCE OF BEES-EMBALMING.
So much has been written of the instinctive intelligence of bees
that I shall not devote much space to describing their novel habits
here, assuming that my readers are already familiar with most of the
things I could write concerning them ; nevertheless, I will present a
few of the queer practices of bees that are not so generally known.
Every hive of bees, in addition to the workers, drones, neuters and
queen, has several sentinels, whose duties are to apprise the hive of
threatened dangers and to keep off intruders, for bees, like hnmant*,
are subjected to many annoyances, not the least of which are burg-
lars. In Oftse a bug, worrti, snail, or other insect wanders into the
hive, the sentinels first set upon it with their stings, and, after killing,
eject it from their habitation without allowing the incident to inter-
fere with the labors of the other bees. But where an insect too large
for the sentinels to master invades the hive, all the bees are quickly
notified and a general attack is made. Suppose the invader is a large
slug, too weighty for removal ; in this case the bees fall upon it with
such fury that even retreat, if sought, is impossible, and it soon suc-
cumbs to the 'poisoned daggers thrust into its body. But so larsfe a
creature must not be suffered to remain in the hive, where, decaying,
it would exhale a noxious odor which might develop a malady among
the colony. The republic take counsel and speedily conclude, most
sensibly, to embalm the body, which they proceed to do in the most
expeditious manner possible. The laborers cease their gathering of
honey and repair to the woods to collect a resinous substance called
propoUsj which is present in most trees, with which they envelope the
body in a solid layer, more dexterously than the Egyptians ever ap-
plied their aloes and essences. By this means the slug is so perfectly
embalmed thai decay is arrested, and the body, if undisturbed, might
remain fresh for endless years.
Sometimes it happens that snails find their way *nt hives, which,
being protected by a cuirass of shell imperviOi?s tv ting», are pro-
ceeded against in a no less intelligent and eflecti ^i aianner. The
bees are not long in finding out the futility of an open attack by
means of their natural weapons, so, flying away, they quickly gather
I
THE WOBLP ASHOBH. . 1 439
THE WONDERFUL PROCESS OF gUEEN MAKINO
I have read a great deal about queen bees, but nowhere have I seen
so »xoene„t a description of the process of queen niakiugri, /^
:dl^^.o^-t<^?:;;:ti^;. ^■""■-' '--^ "-• - 'b;:„;v::
By a singular anomaly in insects, it is the females which thonah
more delicate, take chm-crfi nf fi,„ i .^ ^'"'«^«» wnicii, tnough
nothing; they ;re he ZesB^^^^ '° "'^^'"^^^^
attributes of their sex thlv 1 ^^^^^. ^^™«'^« ^^ve none of the
tui.li sex, tbey are genume neuters, in which th«
un.es have contrived .oientifically to make ever; irciple !f
fecundity abortive ; in short, thev are unseved Th. '"'""'P'^ "'
rtc, young, have their bee-Uad .led oTto'th I' '''°''=°'
Ser ..antities ; •. vain do they c,; tt:" ^Z^l^^^Z
specially tecSveae.- " The.!" ""''''«■••'"'■<''' •".« been prepared
tj».. J commorce,::; J^Z 3 ~: Hafi"^ 'r '"""
she 8 here estahh-sh.vi ^u u ., , , "'^ palatial, feo soon as
fity she not onlv n ..«. .l *''" '*'"' '"•'•"'«« "* matu-
soaff ct db "L: *• '®''°'"' ' '"'"'''«<'". but her size is
: power; but,
great as the faculty of adaptation is in the bee,
pre-eminently greater in the ant, as we sha
it is
of its habits and
designs
1 see by cousideriog some
440
&1EA Am> Land.
\'K- '^
Neaiiy all aiits are war-like, though they also follow peaceful occu-
pations, such as enginfering,dairy-keepin<r, farming and other UHeful
purnrts. In Texas observers have noticed the process of planting
and euping practiced by a species of small ant, found most numer-
ously in that state. These insect farmers live in vivat colonies and
like all others of the tribe, are communistic. Aro'ini the hVd v lit'te
they make their home, ' hese industrious farmers cleat' away the v r^'s
and prepare a Ci.nsideruble district for p1antin;.». aud in duo so, on
sow the spot with the seed of a plant of which they are very f.j.u!
and from which they dorive a principal subsistance. When harvest
tiujo arrives they cut duvxi the i^iit and store it away in their
granary, being
always car«ful to
preserve enough"
st'"1 for the fol-
' lowing season.
In South Ameri-
ca the slave-mak-
ing ants abound,
though they may
~ be also found in
other tropical
countries. Huber,
who has made a
life-long study of
the habits of ants,
tells us that the
Amazon, or red
ant, does no labor itself, but relies entirely upon the exertions of its
blaves for everything save only the fighting. They execute their
razzias invaribly at night, and usually upon the miner-ants, though
the latter are stubborn warriors and do not yield without a desperate
struggle. When they have issued from their abode, the amazons
array themselves in serried columns and march in true milit y style
to the nests which they have decided to spoliate. Their approach is
always discovered by the videttes of the invad-^ti colony, which give
the alarm tmd forthwith every possible effort 't forth to bar the
entrance against the despoilers. After a hard ': ught battle the ama-
AN ARMY OF ANTS ON THE MARCH.
zons usually sue ' in mastering the war
)ut these they do not
THE WORLD ASHORE.
441
iie.r anoaes. « hen the yomg „„t, a,„ ,hu8 biousht to the ne,t nf
DEPENDENCY OF MASTER UPON SLAVE.
their slaves not oni;?o • he t" e :wZ''''"!l'''?'''' '''"™''*'" "P""
der its master, but for ev«y m„"e , fV"?.". '' r"""""^ '° '■''»■
.1.0 for the raising o 111^™^^! '""" '""' ""^ ''«™"'> ""d
i: 1.- ," n'e i.u\iB. ihe amazon 18 irood foi- iintlii'n«
wi« attend then., as ..rg.: tV:tr, ;:;;:^'"''si:;,v;^^^^^^
..eccssary to abandon the nest on account'of o'verfl„v or 0 t de
.tractive agonccs, the aniaznn-ant is to,, helnle.s to , ,v„ 1 t'
b«t must rely upo,. the slaves to ,„ove hiril^l theT • k"" ''
derful faithfuh.e88, always do bv canvill tL . ?' '"' """'
maadibles. '^ ^ '^'"« ""^ """""^ '"""een their
Huber, anxious to discover boiv deiiendenl n,„ ™ . .
tbeir slaves, ench,se<l a nun.ber "X , '\ ''''"''"° "'"'"
.«n™„ded the-n with anXXce , ' ,7''., ^, "'™'«''-- "ut
i.r«ea,„o„g the,n, thinUi ,X1 ", , J ' Il^e tl ';'"^""'. --'"
was astonished, however toseeth. h„ .. "'em to action ; he
woald neither feed themselves 'or «v the r',7?" '""'' """ "'^^
gave all of the survivors food, »nd l.v X i ! , her charge, and
thelarv., h^ which exertions esaveThl^ T""
«he was introduced among them. ' ''"'" '^''"« ^^'^^^
In Switzerland Huher observed that tho «l.,vn „. . /
dwellings of their masters, and tn ,h v ^«»«tructed the
day-break an^ H-^-^ *« /•! 5 *"''*. '^*'-^' "''^" "I'ened the outlets at
euiug. '""""' """^^ "'"'"^«' "^' ^^'^«» " sti.rm was threat-
442
SEA AND LAND.
ANTS THAT KEEP OOW8.
The amazon-ants turn their attention to one other occupation be-
sides fighting, which is dairy-keeping, thus entitling them to he
called a pastoral species. They keep herds of cows, not such as we
are accustomed to, but yet cows in the sense they use them. Those
cowanvethe Aphides,
a little cricket-like
insect, which di.stlis
a sweet liquor from
two teats carried at
the extremity of the
back. We frequently
find them scattered
over the leaves of
vegetables, where the
ants are sucking them
by means of their
attennie, as seen in
the illustration. At
other times, accom-
panied by their
slaves, they curry off
the aphides and keep
them confined in
their dwellings, in
order to milk them
at leisure, and there
they are nourished
exactly like we do
stalled animals.
Huber further dis-
covered that the ants
are so greedy after
this sweet fluid that,
to procure it more
conveniently, they make covered ways which lead from their nests
to the plants inhabited by these miniature cows. Sometimes they
cari'y their foresight even to a more incredible extent. In order to
reap a richer harvest from the aphides, they leave them on the olants
ANT MILKING TTS COW — APHIDES.
THE WORLD ASHORE.
443
Mtbcy hab, ually feed upon, and with flnely-temnerod earth
ta,IJ there .pee,es of little stables, in whieh they i„,pr Z t^
The natural,, t ,u,t quoted diseovered several of the e surp ll
coustructions, hence the fact is beyond doubt. 8"rpii»i"g
„ , , * "^■^'•^ BETWEEN TWO ARMIES OF ANTS
Huber describes a battle whieh he once had the pleasure of witness-
,„g etween wo colonies of ants that had lived in harmol w h nt
hundred yards of each other for a eonsiderable time. The Tusc of
.h,s .sudden rupture was not apparent, „,„ch to his regret, becZe
m,,.l.t have exh.b.ted ant diplomacy, intrigue, or a keen sense o
r tr f, XT' ""'° '''"'""' '" " ■"»"'- P-'«o""» the
" *,ll n„7 .. " T" '""' """"P'^^ ""y '""• «l"8sification.
theiotwo republics, the one as populous as the other: two emnires
do not possess a greater n„„,ber of combatants. The tmlrnrs me
m,d,vay between their respective residenct.. Their se"ied clln „„!
renc cd from the field of battle to the nest, and ver wo f e •
-v.dth. An ™mense reserve therefore supported the fi.h n/bodv
»here thousands of ants, mounted on the smallest emin^nce^foufM
there single combats were still maintained Thl «f , u °
«ca ti'Tt r t xfv ratT^'i: f ' '''-' ^'-^^-^'^
dust. Generally the two nLif ^^"'^ ^^"^^ «^«^- «°d over in the
seen of «,v! T- u! ^^^^ '"^^''^ succored, and ch-v- .yere
een of six and eight ants locked one with another and d.-, ' T
snrs;;rrnr >^'-- -• oithe-r-orif;--!
came out early and re„.„."!t -«!.'- !!'^'""""■"« "'<>™i"g they
io'that (hov - „ — -'■ '"^ "itxd^-. oo intent were they in fl»ht-
.»ong tht. "" '"' *° ''"'"''• »'"»"«'' "« "t^'PO-d his foot
it
444
SfiA AND LAND.
HOUSE EATERS AND AR0HITE0T8.
One of the most wonderful, and at the same time most destructivp,
of iiisecta is the Termite, or white ant, of South Africa. These eioai
tures live in republics and mo composed of aoidiers, queens, work.
men, males and fcnuilp'i Tlie former are devoted entirely to defond.
\\v* the colony a - < U^)';ii.g the laws ; they alone have win<rs. The
queens are w iii|»ij. •., nd to them the most obsequious deference is
paid. Most >;n<rular to relate, these queens ai-eas unlike theordiii.uy
ant as the hstter is unlike an elephant, for tln^y are estimated to bout
certain iieriods two thousand times larger than any of their subjects.
Like the queen bee, the queen fArnti lays all the eggs, and hence
upon her alone depends the continuance of the race. When her
fecundity is greatest her body is swollen to extraordinary propoi
tions so that she is unable to move, and must be fed by those that
attc; J her. When laying, the eggs are delivered so raj)idly that tliev
issue 18 if by pulsations, at the rate of eighty thousand per diem.
The nests of those wonderful ants reveal an industry and intelli-
gence truly astounding. They are not infrequently as much as twenty
feet in height, and in suih numbers as, when looking at them from u
distance, to appear like a great city of sugar-loaf houses. But,
though made of earth and pulxcrized wood, they are o stroiiw that
wild cattle may stand upon them without danjferof breaking tliroutrh.
The interior reveals many chambers, some of which are quite large
enough to contain a dozen men at a time. From these chauiu. '.s gal-
leries extend down into the ground several feet, and, though laby-
rinthine, they all connect in a free passage-way to the center of the
nest, which is about six hichfis in diameter.
In constructing their nests t lo termite workmen make dreadful
havoc upon the (jacc :, wood vhich supplies the material they re-
quire. They do not confine themselves to the woods, but, using
chiefly seasoned timber, they invade dwellin.r.s and penetrate the fur-
iriture and walls sso insidiously tli t they reduce it speedily to a shell
before .their presence is detected. They never cut the outside of any
wooden article, but penetrate ihe center and destroy all but the
thinnest shell, so that hop ar furniture so eaten will ollapse,
though sUU preserving an .it« ippearance <>.- solidity. At times
wh(»le villages in South Afriri are tms attacked i.nddesi roved. Even
*n I? ranee, where the termite seems to have appeared in 1780, agreat
many houi es have fallen from the effects of their depredations, h
THE V ORLD ASHORE.
445
Th CARPENTERS AND JOINERS
of a maa-, grout *^'" '""^'"""''"''-'"»^'^' "'•^bi,,. lUe ^z,
finger, mid even
longer. It is veiy
much like our com-
mon wood - vvoi-ni,
which, while work-
ing, produces a noise
that siipei'stitious
persons cull the
"death tick." This
worm lives by ejiting
TOod, ai)d in obtain-
ing 11. livelihood it
"iits tortuous galler-
-: in the trunks of
trees mefimes
numeru enough to
killthera. Thoniet-
•imoipho.sis of this
•M«n.n«„l„.i„,fcJ, ' '""'-^'■••^ "•:' "•' f-'«"e,ally understood
'ilKbc,„„f„r rafte.r„f!V ?'"■•>' "''^ """«'■'. «"ch a. the
«"-eiyad,nit i-sbouv^'Hrvr::.!/:;.!?!',.''"'' -f. ".-<■"' •""
now
CARPENTER -HEB AND ,TS LITTLE THAMBER..'
Offspring. Into the end
an
^S8 's Ittid and beside it
10
446
8EA AXD LAND.
deposited a quantity of bee-bread just sufficient lo nourish tho larva
until it \s able to eat its way out. Having tlius provided for tho off.
spring from tho first ogg, tho bee constructs a partition, coniijoscd of
pulverized wood agglutinated with saliva, and hermetically hc ijs the
co-tr UP in a small cell lo itself. She next lays another egg uiitl re-
peats the sumo process of separating them until her coniplcniciit i^
complete, when ^he leaves and gives no more concern to her off.
spring.
The Mud-Mason is even more remarkable than the carpenter l)oe,
for while it displays a like skill in the construction of the cells for
its larva, it provides nourishment altogether different. My rcadcMs
have doubtless broken down mud-masons' nests tinu> and again, and
been surprised to find in the cells green spiders and bugs. Instead of
leaving bee-bread with its egg, the mud-mason catches spiders and
other insects, which it stings, not so as to produce death, but to so
paralyze them that they continue in a state of coma indctiuitclv:
having thus paralyzed a spider, it deposits it in the cell with its ogg,
and when the larva is developed it finds its natural food at liand as
fresh as if just killed, and in precisely sufficient quantity for its
subsistence, until it is ready to burst its prison and come forth tiie
perfect insect.
Insects not only bore through wood, but some of them even attack
metals, and seem to find nourishment in them. The Giant Sirexh&i
been known to gnaw lead and deposit its larva in the excavations. M,
Pouchet mentions the fact that, during the Crimean w.xf, the halls in
the soldiers' cartridges were sometimes so badly perforated by these
insects as to be useless for shooting.
HOW THE DIVING-BELL CAME TO BE INVENTED.
It was from a little hydraulic engineer, commonly called the wator-
spider, that the idea of the diving-bell was obtained. This admirable
work-fellow of the animal world is a genius so perfect in his way
that even man cannot exactly imitate the completeness of his watery
abode. His charming little house is made of silk, for he is a dainty
creature, not above displaying a pride which borders on vanity. It
is a veritable diving-bell in which he lives, and though extremely'
small, it is a work of marvelous perfection. This miniature bell is
suspended by threads from a spear of grass, by which it is so iirmly
held that wind or wave is not likely to disturb it. They are expert
swimmers, but cannot breath wate as fishes do, so that they must
THE WORLD ASHORE.
447
keep thoir houses well supplied with fresh air. To do this the spider
(omcs to the Hurface, and there gathers a l,ul)ble of air under his
abdomen, with ^^^*^— ^'^^■^^■— ■
which he do-
scends to his re-
treat, and by
repeating this
process soon fills
his little home
with respirahle
^'as. Here he
passes his win-
ters in peifect
ease, using l)are-
ly enough exer-
tion io seize the
prey that strays
near his retreat.
Walcken8er,who
has made a spe-
cial study of the
water-spider,
has given them
the name of iVa-
«Weo3 (Naiads),
and declares
they are the
most interestinjr
and intellioent — .
, , , ^ THE DIVING-BELL SPIDER. •
insects he has met with, an opini<.n in which scientists generally concur.
THE PLAQUE OF LOOU8T8.
™! ?r ""^u"""'' '° ^ '"''' "^ *''" i°t«"ige"«e exhibited by Zo.
» te but aDytli.„g eonceraing them possesses interest from the fact
they ™vage our field, .„d at times beeome the greatest plagues
uave suiierfin mimonoa 1^-,^ *..-— xt • , ., .
„„ , , '■" ^"='= ^^"'" '-"use insects their ravages in our
country do not compare with that which they work in Asia and Africa
SS2r'r/r^l"^ through these countries, they resemb;
black clouds and darken the sun for hours at a time. Their track is
448
SEA A.m) LAND.
marked b}' a trnste as complete as if it had been swept by fire. Moses
reoordn the plague of locusts with which Egypt was afflicted, l)ut !iis
description of their destructiveness does not exceed that given hy Plinv
who states that several districts of Africa have been entirely depopu-
lated by these insects. St. Jerome, in his alarm, once exclainud:
«* What is there stronger and more terrible than locusts? All Iuihimh
industry cannot withstand tliRm. God alone regulates their niuicli."
The army of Charles XII., when crossing Bessarabia, was arreshd
by a swarm of locusts; not only entirely obscuring the sun, but liffln.
ing upon the soldiers in such vast numbers as to blind them and
threaten them with suffocation.
In the Island of Lemnos a law was enforced by which each person
was compelled to bring to the magistrate a measure of locusts as an-
nual tribute. In Cyrenaica, according to Pliny, every subject of tlio
realm was required to ihake war on the locusts three days of |Ik<
year. Those neglecting to obey this edict were i)unished as deserters.
Several times in Syria Ronian soldiers were employed to desdoy
locuvsts to prevent famine in the country. Soldiers have been simi-
larly engaged in Transylvania, reinforced by the -entire i^opulalion,
yet, despite their combined exertions, many fertile districts wereuttcriv
ruined. Ibrahim Pasha, in Egypt, only a few years ago, summoned
all the soldiery of the nation to his aid in staying the ravaj:o.s of
locusts, and to stimulate them in the work bared his head to tlie sun
and fought with his men against the pest.
Although the migrating locust is one of the worst scourges with
which agriculturists have to contend, it is not entirely destitute of
value. A:, an article of food, we have the best of evidence to sliow
that it possesses great merit. The Bible teaches us that the Jews ate
it, and that four species were recommended by Moses as good to he
eaten. John the Baptist, when he was in the wilderness of Judea,
subsisted on locusts and honey, a diet not to bo despised by even the
most favored sons of God Not only was it esteemed in ancient
drys, but there are still countries where the ))eople appreciate it
highly. Ill Bagdad the locust is exposed for sale alongside of the
best meats, with which it has equal rank. In all Arabia these insects
are dried and ground to a fine flour, when it is baked into wholesome
and palatable bread. In Ifin.^, German v was so nearlv desolated l)v
reason of an invasion of locusts that, for the want of other food, the
peasantry began eating them, when they acquired so much favor (bat
THE WORLD A8HORB. ' ^..
Kiev. thodi«,i„g„i,|,ea entom,,log t in eh! " „, ll"; . "^ ''• '*'•
United States, euts locusts «ith avdtvaf n ''"""' "'»
only palatable and nutrition, ..."""''J^' '""^ P">nounccs them n<,t
•ieliciousness. ""'""O"*. •">' » «orcea„ of almost unc«mpled
THE VORACIOUS ANT-LION.
A curious specimen of the vor.eiou« in insect life is the A.t T '
very appropriately named, because it is a carniv n', nf f f '^'-^T"
actor that lays its trap with wn.uln,.// carnivora of fearless char-
™-.«.go a,„„i„ „„., .u,:!: e'e tmo:Th';:i;,T'f„''T''^' " ''^-'""'■'
pit which the ant-lion consti-urt. i. i " "" '"'"'''•• The
level. Inaceomplishbgthi:,™;"' '"' ""'" "™^''''' "«= -^'-«
It uses only the head, with which,
I'V a dipping motion, it managed :
to throw the sand out so rapidly '
as to shower it in* a continuous "
jet. When a depth of a foot or
more is reached, the insect bur-
rows itself at the bottom of the pit
until nothing but its mandibles are
uncovered. Here it lies quiescent
awaiting the prey which will not
be long in coming, for :he place is
a>-«tcer,a1„t,;7ofx,r'TK"', '7 ""''•"""'■ ""^ ?'' '^^y -«
Peaved since thei'l, : ,! ' 1 1 ';:";";• "•""^^ '"'^ -O"^™'^ ».-
I»«s over the ed»e „f ' "f •/, " ''"""• ^'" •!'» '"<»»ont it
"J ...events itt:',:'::„ 'ai' ; 'r/:rtr '""■■^•"•""""
seiTes to drive the unffrt.,,. . . - '""■'' <"«:''in" onlv
j»>v,in waiting """"""""'» -•»""« '"ore s,,e..dily to the hungry
^zi:::^^ r-- -^ f - •••^--.-.y, f«n mto th„
, !.^^"^" '" "t® struggles to surmonnf. thp .i: • .
- '"uou Huna wiii fall rlnnrr. ...v " iu ,. ~ "il'-'j Kiues
I«ingfromhisrereal hi . '""' ""'* '» ''"'"""'"g ""> ""d.
S .et,e»t, be l»unch.s ,., ,wift s„cws»i„„ ;ot, of 8«„d
450
8£A AND LAND.
■^;>tf l^ii'lV^:'
upon the victim, and causes it to fall quickly to the bottom. Here
no mercy is shown, no delay in the fell i)uri)ose of the destroyer, for,
always thirsting for fresh blood, the ant-lion fulls vigorouf^ly on the
helpless bug, and in a trice has sucked the juices from its body.
But the ant-lion shows wisdom beyond its cunning for catching prey
in so singular a trap. Since it lives entirely off the blood of iiispcts
its pit would soon become a charnel house of noxious vapors if the
bodies were permitted to remain accumulating in the hollow ; further-
more, pass*ing insects might discover the fatal trap set for them when
looking ovei the edge upon the skeletons of their compatriots, and
beinw thus warned in time escape a like fate. The ant»lion is cunning
enough to reason out all these probabilities, and, to guard against
them, after destroying an insect he carefully balances its body on his
head, then, with a spasmodic jerk, he throws it not only out of his*
den, but several inches beyond the border. After he bus nnide a
Gol"-otha of his surrounding, like a sensible fellow, he moves hit* hab-
itation and renews the slaughter until new suspicions are created.
WONDERS OF THE SPIDER.
Of all artists and workers in animal creation the spider is the
greatest, for he combines the acquirements of tailor, miner,
carpenter, engineer, surveyor, and any number of other trades,
in each of which he is an expert. We do not have to travel in
foreign countries to find spideis that execute the most wonderful
works, for every web is a study, being the product of an in-
genuity which man can never approach. In a night he rears his gos-
samer structure, as airy as a sunbeam, and yet of cable cords of
remarkable strength. Across paths in the wood we find his tensile
threads, reaching from branch to branch like a suspension bridge, over
which he travels ; his ropes are always at hand and are made to serve
him in the most wonderful ways. Should he desire to cross a stream,
he has only to sit upon some tree or other elevated position, and there
pay out his cable until the loose end floats on the breeze and catches
to some object on the opposite shore. This constitutes his bridge, aiiJ
on it he crosses «^afely over.
The spider's web is a mystery in construction, sinct it proceeds
ready spun by nature from its body. This marvelous loom is situ-
..A_j :.. ii.„ »u,i...^:..n1 «^v4 ,.«.»> liv q.n'' '"^ /•r»mr»nafi(i of RfiVfii'iil tents.
The thread issues, wcmderful to state, from as many sieves, in each of
which are more than a thousand holes, and out of each hole iasuess
Kuaid ajrainst
THE WORLD ASHOBB.
tinv thread. As tho ' h,.,>„ ^
inti one thread, ZkltjlIITV '''' '^^'"«"'"<' *»«»«■«
Scientists who have slndied the ZL^^ JTu '"" """"^""-J ««"»«»-
«..]«, affirm that it require, „„,,', u f '"^ """'^ "*"»' "i'™-
r"" ^"■'•-^ "' *"" '-Of a hlr. '"l^trt" 1 """"'^ '°
den spiders, for some species snfn f! , , ^^ Product of ear-
b. used in the mannfarr: "t 'J rfalf"' 7 T"' '"""'^' '»
had a suit of clothes made for hVm e,f til I" '""*• ^°"'^ ^^
»me of the ladies of his court Ztth' '^P"''^'--»«'>s, ao did also
lated, however, that Al. d' Orw'.nv I, ,w ^ ''"' f ' ^'"^''^'- ^^ '« "-
this filmy prodact which enduVeS a '',„'•''"" "/ ''''"^''' ""«''= »"' «'
No less curious than his web i t , , '"™'°"' "'"'•
spider constructs, i„ which to hide wl,il„ hi "'"''''' ""■■ """""'on
escape in case of danger. It i,7c!l """"?' "'■ '» "^^'^ h"" for
which it is put. Here" well enl" ed ; I'lf """"?""'' '"' "'" "^« '»
"giddy fly, or other i.Lsect, d hes i.f,^ H,"""' ^t" ''''^'" -'^' ""«'
set outside his den; then inatrie. h '""^'hes he has ski||fui,„
h."icti.,„« whi;h C':zi::t::;^!::^^'^'^''^^^^yu.i
i. carries his cunning still further I ^ • "« "" J"''--^''- But
.eversuffersthebloodof hisolvL' ""T"'""' ''" ^'>°'' that he
the remain's to lie h.ng expo ef if ht? , ^ T'' ""' ""'^ '"> »"ow
.«ht,hedragsthemb^ack'thr.„Ih:de,'''7 """ """"'''""' f"-
ower opening, especially provided t, hi "^'"'" ""^ ""'""gh -
his house in a cleanly and l.-vi;! ^t jit., "fTf" ^"" '"' "^''P^
pemnces, while below him are found tl \ "^ ^^^Picious ap..
are found the evidences of his vomcitv
MostnffI •. ™^ '"'"■"""■ TARANTULA "'"Oiacity.
Mo t of the spiders found in the United St .,t„- .
Ihcre ,s „„e whose bite is scarcely le„ K 7 °, "'''' harmless, but
«tle8„al<e ; this is the Ta,anMa fi. f "'""'''' *'"'" """ "f the
«' Tarentum, Italy. fron.Xrct'i „?' "'" '■" *'"' -'ghborhood
Mmerous in the Levant brtb ! """""'• 1' '^ especially
-cthen. interesti?; t; S ,; .::,7T'""'T *'""^ "'■^ »-?'= '»
f- bite produced a^.alady c .Z,.! le t"o TT'I "'"-^O "'at
credahty of ,he Italians extendedT^ r ''>''''"Phobia, and ,he
''"edyof music to effect a cl '° '7''"" /»'"' '- 'he sovereign
«sc, in which he ^ravelv d"L J-'t^™'-! «'-g'-' -- w-'ea
■---h^.so-;^:-::;-:^-^^^^^^^^^^
452
SEA AND LAND.
The Tarantula, like the mason-spider, has its habitation in ti iiontly
lined cylindrical hole in the ground, the entrance to which is covt-nd
by ii lid that fits as snugly as the cork of a bottle. This lid is a mas-
ter-piece of ingenuity, being composed of about forty alternate layor.^
of earth and silk, and connected to the edge of the dwelling by iiu-ans
of a hinge so perfect that it may be opened and shut a thousand
times without injury.
. The poison ap[)ariitus of spiders is precisely analogous to that of
serpents, only that it is extremely small. Poisonous spiders possess
mobile teeth and hollow fangs which distil the noxious Uuid into any
THE TARANTULA.
wound they mn.ke ; this fluid is secreted by a small gland sitated
in the interior of the palpi (feelers), attached to the under juwiwhk'>
effect the bite.
It has been a subject of much dispute whether or not the taran-
tula's bite is ever attended by fatal results in a grown person; the
best authorities say it is not, and cite many instances in proof.
The tarantulas of Nassau grow to an enormous size, five inches loni'
by four broad, and a gentleman whom I know, amrms t'l
wintering at that famous resort, he killed one that was
Jarge as the crowu of a man's hat,
.„k;i,>
THE WORLD A8HOMS.
453
THE OHIOKEN SPIDER.
Equalling, if not surpassing the tai-r;ntula in size is the Chiclcen^
Spider, an inhabitant of South America. It is very poisonous and is
said to employ its lethal fluid to destroy small birds and animals.
Its favorite prey is humming-birds, which it manages to catch in a
manner which scientists have not yet attempted to explain. The sup-
position, however, is that it surprises the bird when on her nest,
and' leaping upon her, like a lion does upon a deer, drives its mandi-
bles into the feathered beauty, killing it almost upon the instant.
But the chicken-spider does not limit its attacks to humming-birds;
it is a barn-yard pest, also, committing, at times, great ravages amont^
the poultry of Colombia. Its attack is usually made by si)rinirin^
upon the chicken and fastening upon its throat, where it speedily
finds the jugular vein and sucks the blood until its victim expires.
Pigeons are also objects of its voiacity, as many as a dozen of these
birds having been found dead in a single cote, all killed by one of
these blood-thirsty creatures.
THE SCORPION -SOMETHING TRULY WONDERFUL.
The scorpion and spider belong to the same class of insect creation,
called Arachnida, a Greek word used to denote a s, -cies wherein
there is no distinction of head and thorax. The scorpion is to land
creatures what the octopus -is to those living in the water, a frightful
iippeaiing hybrid, whose pniper sphere, it seems, ought to be fn the
dominions of Satan. It is devilish, or impish, not only in looks but
character as well. They inhabit most warm countries, and are every-
where held in the greatest dread. All kinds of precautions must be
taken to guard against them, for, loving darkness, they crawl into
beds, cioop under pillows, or into shoes, so that in countries where
they abound they menace everybody. They are l)oth active and sav-
age, and perfectly aware of the terrible weapons with which they are
aimed. When alarmed the scorpion curls its tail over its body,
flourishes the venomed weapon in a most threatening style, and, if {"ts
retreat be cut off, it boldly assumes the offensive and rushes to the
attack.
However repulsive and venomous, the scorpion excites admiration
xor its wonderf.., .>U;xhment to its young. While yet young and
feeble, thev c(-n.?rt;<T]iini nnnn ijip iioi.c..»» «* <k« ^.i •
over her back, i
, ii'Vcej^is a
nd
completely conceal the outline of their parent
imbs, and even cling to her tail, so as to
454
SB A Am> LAND.
A traveler has recently contributed an interesting paper on the
scorpion, wbiicli was publisiied in «' Land and Water," in 1885, which
•1 mfm
CHICKEN SPIDER OF SOUTH AMERICA.
has attracted much attention. From this account of the habits of
the creature, I take the liberty of quoting as follows:
SOME ASTONISHING FACTS RESPECTINO THE SCORPION.
*• A few years ago, while in the Island of Jamaica, it was my for-
tunate chance to have an opportunity of observing some very curious
TIIE WORLD A8B0RE.
455
facts in connection with the ge.,u« of the arachnida class commonly
Kuown as (ho scorpion, and the curious traits of character in these
insects. Turning over .onie old paper in my office one day, I sud-
denly came upon ,i large black scorpion, which promptly tried to beat
a precipitate retreat. Having read or heard somewhere that if you
blow on a scorpion he will not move, I tried the experiment, and was
greatly astoni-shed to find that it had the desired effect. The scor-
pion stopped instantly, flattened himself close to the paper on which
he had been running, and had all the appearance of ' holdin<r on ' for
dear life. While I continued to blow, even lightly, he refused to
move, though I pushed him with a pencil and shook the paper to
winch he clung so tenaciously. Directly I ceased blowin-, he ad-
vanced cautiously, only to stop again at the slightest breath. I wis
thus able to secure him in a glass tumbler, which happened to be
within reach, and then determined to try another experiment as to the
suicidal tendencies which 1 had heard runs in the veins of the pedi.
palpi family. -^
"On the stone floor of the kitchen attached to my office larranrred
a circle of burning sticks, about three yards in circumference, the
sticks bemg so placed that, though there were no means of exit
through the fire, it was not intense, but small and quite bearable as
regards heat witbin a few inches, so that the central part of the circle
was perfectly cool. Into this center I accordingly dropped my scor-
pion, who, on reaching terra firma, darted off in a great hurry, only
to be quickly brought to a halt on reaching within a few inches of the
periphery of the circle. After a short pause for reflection, he de-
viated to the right, and ran once completely around the circle, as
near to the fire-sticks as it was prudent to venture. This he did
three tunes, often approaching the burning sticks quite closely in his
anxious endeavors to escape. In about a quarter of an hour, finding
that his efforts were useless, he retired almost into the exact center
ot the circle, and there, in a tragic manner, raised his tail till the
^^tmg, or spur, was close to his head, gave himself two deliberate
prods m the back of the neck, and thus miserably perished by his
own hand. As I placed the body of the suicide in a bottle of spirits,
I almost regretted that I had not let him escape before he had resorted
to such an extreme measure.
"My last experience is even more curious than the preceding, as it
mm a remarkable provision of nature that is almost incredible.
456
«EA AND LAND.
All I have ever read on the subject is contained in the following
words :
«*The young scorpions are produced at various intervals, and are
carried by the parent for several days upon her back, during vhich
time she never leaves her retreat.
" I was playing a game of billiards in a small village in the Blue
Mountains; there was no ceiling to the room, the roof being covered,
as is the usual custom in Jamaica, with cedar-wood shingles. My
opponent was smoking a large pipe, and sudd *nly, just as I was about
to make a stroke, what I thought was the contents of my .friend's
pipe, fell on the table close to the ball at which I was aiming. Li-
stinctively I was on the point of brushing it off with my hand, when,
to my amazement, I saw it was a moving mass which, on closer
inspection, turned out to be a very large female specimen of a scor-
pion, from which ran awa]^ in every direction a number of perfectly
formed little scorpions, about a quarter of an inch in length. Tiie
mother scorpion lay dying upon the billiard cloth, and soon ended
her feeble struggle, the whole of her back being eaten out by her
own offspring, of which, as they could not escape over the raised
edge of the billiard table, we killed the astonishing number of thirty-
eight. They had not only been carried by their parent, but they had
lived on her, cleaning out her body from the shell of her back, so
that she looked like an inverted cooked crab, from which the edible
portions have been removed. She had clung to her retreat in the
shnigled roof until near the approach of death, when she had fallen
and given us this curious spectacle. I was told by the attendant that
the young scorpions always live thus at the expense of their mother's
life, and that by the time her strength is exhausted the horrid off-
spring are ready to shift for themselves."
CHAPTER XXVI.
WONDERS OF THE VEGETABLE WORLD.
' A FLORAL GLOOK.
m^gUT I must leave off further description of the loathsome
fSil^^ creatures which so afflict the earth, and turn to a coiisideia-
^^^ tion of some of the equally wonderful things which t
^^ generous Providence has strewn with lavish hand through-
out all creati(»n. If we have hon\ely and venomous insects against
THE WORLD ASHOM.
457
nature and the bounty of Onmipot.Mce'^ ^°"'^""''' "'
Betiveon anim,,! ,.nd pi„„t life tliere is only a stcD in .„■„»„■ "
tion not so radical: . different h„t tl,», P' "'^?'»""'a-
marvelous facts connected with the vegetable w.nTd fZ V !
will excite „, much surprise and ad.niratio,: te 'fe t t ptvt
way we ,v,II find a government directed by laws that have emanated
rem the master „„nd, and all these laws are directed towards , So un-
foldn,g of new beaut.es and the adornment of earth. The ilrialde-
„es, of hese laws has enabled men who have devoted themselv a
,pec,al study of the subject, to make wonderful calculations, to a a ' e
calendars and t.me clocks, and to do ie-thonsand other useful ttT
It ,s known that Pliny, having noted with care the times at which
plants flower, conceived the idea that we n.ight n.ake use of t ,",, t!
n,ark the d.fferent seasons of the year. Cuvlcr even as.serts ,h, the
Roman naturabst proposed to arrange a complete floral calenda Z
he ,dea was first consummated by Linneus, and it is one of ,, e mZ
delightful conceptions of his rare genius. Accordin„ t^ Ki
«nt of flowers to mark the months of the ye^ 'tve ^hiZt
January s ,ce and snows flt-st peeps the black hellebore. In FebZrv
ho stately alder shakes its catkins, and the mezereon appears in "s
.end coat scattering flowers to winter winds. The howHng gu ts of
March wlnrl round the nodding golden corollas of the walUfllwe/
nd bend low the pretty beils of the crown imperial. The p riwik e
1 harbmger of spring, and greets Ap.,1 .howers with ts oftv
SS,^nft^Jr^~Z-
A::Lcprk:rwtrjl;tyr
noance the return of dog-days. Septembe^r introd,;!!;::'!!:,;":
nXn L"lT'°r'' !!;'"!' """"' '" '"' "» i^'l-hear^er'to all'the
t (
:ll
I
|!
45d
8tA Afro lAlrt).
Linneas not only made a floril calendar, but he extended his obsef
vations to all plants so critirnlly that he at Knigth arnuiged a clock of
tolerable accuracy by marking the hour when certain plants open their
flowers. His clock, unroitunatoly, was onl^ serviceable in rfwodcii.
Lamarck arranged one for France, but I know < f none that we can
use in the United States, though any well-ver»ed botanist may easily
construct one.
PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN PALM TREES.
M. Pouchet says : " The connection between man and the vegetable
kingdom is not limited to these curious investigations; plants, living
emblems of the rapid passage of hours and time ilscli , eternal \emim
of wisdom, are associated with all our wants, our pleasures and our
pains. The hardiest trees serve to build our dwellings with; other
plants furnish our most natural food. Sometimes the existence of
certain tribes depends on n single vegetable species. A palm which
grows at the mouth of the Orinoco suffices for all the wants of some
savage races, who, in company with the monkey^, live almost con-
stantly perched, as it were, in the midst of its foliage. It yields them
food, wine, and even cordage to swing their hammocks i y, in wiiich
they suspend themselves during the inundations."
Speaking .r Uiese palm-tree dwellers, Humboldt, in his «« Travel?
in EquatorT i rigions,'' says: "At the time of the in'nidation- the
tufts of tij.^ fan-leaved murichi present the appeanmce of a forest
issuing from the bosom of the waters. The navigator, traversing at
night the branches of the Orinoco delta, sees with surprise the crowns
of the palms lighted up by large fires. These are the habitations of
the Guaranis suspended from the trunks of the trees. These people
stretch mats in the air, fill them with earth, and on th"s bed of wet
clay light what fii-es they require for household purposes. For ages
they have owed their liberty and political independence to the trea.h-
erous and miry nature of their soil, which they traverse in seasons of
drought, and over which they alone know how to pass in safety, '
their'isolation in the delta of the Orinoco, and to their living in trees.
THE BREAD-FRUIT TREE.
The wonders of the vegetable kingdom will grow as we proceed,
but no book could contain all the marvelous things connected with
plant life ; we mus
t, therefore, be content with only a few. Every-
one
Ance in
has heard of the bread-fruit tree, which is found in great abund-
the Island of Tahiti (Otaheite). The fruit of this tree grows
led his obsef
ed a clock of
its open their
} ill S\vo(l(Mi.
that we oun
st may easily
the venrntable
plants, living
ternal lessons
ures and our
=< with; other
'■ existence of
A. palm which
ants of some
5 almost con-
it yields them
by, in which
his "Travels
^ndation^ the
le of :i forest
, traversing <it
se till! crowns
habitations of
These people
's bed of wet
es. For ages
to the tre;i(li-
1 in seasons of
I in safety, '
^inscin trees.
; we proceed,
^nnected with
few. Every-
1 jrreat abund-
his tree grows
iU
.<.( ft]
mi xMi^k
m
^ia:. > '
MICROCOPY RESOIUTION TEST CHART
(ANSI and ISO TEST CHART No. 2)
12.8
■ M
I2£
asA
Ui
lis
Mmm
2.5
1.8
^ APPLIED INA^GE Ir
1653 East Main Street
Rochester. New York 14609 USA
(716) 482 -0300 -Phone
(716) 288-5989 -Fox
460
SfiA ANt) LAKt).
111!
to a size somewhat larger than a cocoanut, and weighs from two c
five pounds, being solid like the pineapple. In preparing it for food
the natives have only to cut the fruit in slices and cook them on a
gridiron, when it becomes an excellent quality of bread, and would
be so pronounced by an epicure.
But there are several other bread-yielding trees, or plants, fion^
which a pith is obtained which may well answer the purpose of broad.
Strabo tells us that the army of Alexander, while crossing a portion
of Macedonia, being utterly destitute of provisions, sustained thtMu-
selvei, for several weeks by eating the pith of a species of palm. If
we are to believe Xonophon, the same thing happened during the
famous retreat of the ten thousand Greeks.
In tropical countries the natives not only rely almost entirely upon
the fruit of trees for food, but largely for clothing, also. Beneath
the bark of certain trees there are thin layers called lihers, so called
from their resemblance to the leaves of a book. These may be .-sep-
arated without difficulty, and, since they are both pliable and strong,
are easily wrought into valuable textile fabrics. The inhabitants of
New Zealand convert the liher of some of their trees into most serv-
iceable drapery, having first impressed it with ornamental patterns.
In Cuba the negresses are much given to dressing in the soft liher of
' certain trees, on the score not only of cheapness, but also becanse
clothes tht.s made are handsomer than if made from the cloths they
are able to buy. On the Logetto, which is celebrated on this account,
liher is found, the intertwined fabrics of which are as fine as our best
mu.slins, on which account it is used very generally by ladies, who
have given to it the name of lace-wood.
The inner layers of bark are sometimes found sufficiently flexible,
smooth and compact to make a fairly good quality of writing mate-
rial. The ancient Egyptians used this kind of paper, which is now-
called papyrus, in their records long before the civilization of Europe
was begun. In fact, it was used anterior to history. Pliny relates
that the Roman consul, Mucins, discovered a letter in the Temple of
Lycia written on this material by Sarpedon, and dated from Troy.
The existence of the sacred writings, the works of Homer and Hcsiod.
and the finding of the books of Numa in the tomb of that great legis-
lator, all being recorded on papyrus, show how ancient was its use
and how wonderful its durability.
lis from two o
ring it for fnod
cook them od a
read, and would
or plants, iron'
Lirpose of bioad.
iissing a portion
sustained thoni-
;es of palm. If
ened during Uie
st entirely upon
, also. Beneath
libers, so ealled
lese may be sell-
able and strong,
le inhabitants of
3 into most serv-
mental patterns,
the soft liber of
but also because
the cloths they
J on this account,
s fine as our best
/ by ladies, who
fficiently flexible,
of writing niatc-
?r, which is now
ization of Europe
y. Pliny relates
in the Temple of
ated from Troy.
omer and Hesiod,
P that great legis-
cient was ita use
!K'
n
462
SEA AND LAND.
».L„ ii.,
THE WEEPING TREE
As previously stated, there is a surprising analogy b'^twoen animal
and vegetable life in several particulars. Plants breathe with the reg.
ularity oi an animal, so have they circulation, sensibility, periods of
waking and sleeping, and possibly a nervous system, which has heon
proven by the most delicate experiments. It has been shown that a
man loses, on an average, two pounds and nearly a quarter everv
twenty-four hours, by the exhalation of watery vapor througl, the
pores of his skin. A series of experiments, conducted by Hales
showed that through respiration the sunflower lost five-thirtee.-ith< as
much as an average man. But the sunfl^ower distils less water than
most plants, some of which seem to pump water incessantly. An
arum kept in the botanical garden at An.sterdam was observed by
Ruysch to distil water drop by drop from its leave,, in the proporti.)n
that it was watered. Musset disc^overed a plant of the same family
which distilled water so rapidly that little sprays might be seen, by
very close observation, issuing from the pores of its leaves.
But the greatest maivel of plant respiration is seen in the Weeping
Tree, which is indigenous to the Canary Islands, from whose tufted
foliage there is a never ceasing and copious rainfall. At the foot of
this wonderful tree is a pond, from which the natives obtain water,
but should the pond become dry the tree would immediately show
signs of languishing, since water is at once its breath and blood.
The leaves of other plants, more tenacious of the perspiration they
distil, collect it in little cups, which are found at their ends, some-
times considerably open, sometimes closing and opening by means of
a movable lid. Of these plants the Nepenthes distiUatoria, more
commonly known as the pitcher-plant, is most famous. Its Ie!>v«is
display a strorg mid-rib, which extends beyond the blade and ends in
an elegant cylindrical cup, provided with a hinged ^id, which sponta-
neously opens and closes according to the state of the atmosphere.
During the night this lid sinks down and hermetically close?, the little
vase, which then tills with limpid water exhaled by its walls. Durin<r
the day the lid is raised, and the fluid evaporates more or less. The
cooling liquid, properly called nepenthe, often quenches the thirst of
Indians lost in the burning deserts.
THE WONDERFUL WINE TREE, MANNA TREE, AND WAX- PALM.
The Wine Tree, found in Mauritius Island, is only more wonderful
than the pitcher-plant in that it distils an excellent quality of win?
>,< >
T b'^twoen animal
the with the reg-
)ility, periods of
, which has heen
}eii shown that a
a quarter every
por through the
ucted bv Hales,
ve-thirteer>th.'< as
i less water than
ncessantly. An
i^as observed by
11 the proportion
;he same family,
ight be seen, by
leaves.
in the Weeping
m whose tufted
At the foot of
es obtain water,
mediately show
and blood,
erspiration they
eir ends, sorae-
ng by means of
Hllatoria, more
•us. Its let'vps
ade and ends in
, which sponta-
he atmosphere,
closep, the little
walls. During
e or less. The
es the thirst of
AX- PALM.
iiore r'onderful
juality of winf
THE WINE. TREE, OZ W,NE- BEARING SAGO-PAL^.
464
SBA AND LAND.
instead of water, corresponding to old Concord. The natives are
extremely fond of this natural intoxicant, and abuse its use like wine-
bil)bers throughout the world; but it is said that its effects are not so
pernicious on the sj'stem as fermented wine.
We are told by Moses that manna fell from heaven to nourish the
famishing Jews,
but what is now
called manna is
the exudation of
the flowcring-asli,
which is cultivated
in Sicily. This
waxy sugar runs
and hardens qn
the tree-trunk in
the shape of stal-
actites, which tire
scraped off by
means of wooden
knives, and are so
pure that they nniy
be used for all the
purposes to which
sugar is put with-
out going through
any process of
refining.
In the western
portion of South
America, generally
along the Andes,
grows another
wonderful tree,
from which a wax
is obtained that is
strikingly similar
to the product of the bee and may be used for the identical purposes,
but it is chiefly employed for illuminating. This substance exudes
from the trunk ai)4 cpU^ctn ip large balls, \v|iic)i ar^ scraped o# b^
tk9 milvM.
MANNA, OR SUGAR-TREE OF SICILY.
THE WORLD ASHORE. ^g^
THE MARVELOUS M.LK AND BUTTER TREES.
otiil more remarkablo thun on,. « ^l
BuUer-TVee. which abounds™ 1^1,1^7 •'"' r"''""""' '' ">»
West Africa. Karl Muller l-it 7! '• °'°' ""^ ^'-er River, i„
slave merchantrcl^di'tvev'" ''',''"' "•'''''"''■'"' ''''' '"y^ "'«
restrictive measures sought to h^ "'"ch n.ore formidahle than the
"As the natives c^ le" f, , ^^ . Hill,''''''" ''"■'" "^ '"" '="'"'"•
the coast are uneasy as to wint ,! n 1 I "T""' "'" ^""''"'^ <>■>
an article of con-^'el lid ii-drr^.f^''^''"' •>""-• •'-°-
iulmbitantsfromslave-huntinn. h,„r ""« may divert the
to ordor the destruction "fa|f 'the h r" ! '"^ *''' """^ "f Dahon.y
is really declared agai s the ,le ^ t;"" ,'" '* '"""'"'-• ^'•'•
ap, ...d yet it reappears eh year' s if If « """: "' " '^""S'
reaionstrating with man f, de^ih ',: !, ,'"'"="""*'y ""d "nergetically
This butter fs a sec:: ,^„'t"V;:'7'»»" » «■" "^ -tnre.'^
muchasahu„dredpoundsraayll„!th ' ^, ° P"''"'" '" '' """ ^
»e,ved again in a ew .nonZ ]S^ '"""■T '"" "' °''"»> '" *">
ter, but u^on exposure to cd it hall 7 u '""'"-^ ''<""" '<> •>»«-
oextt„i,npossiblefor„pers „ todi • ::; r,;';:^™ -'' - "O"^" i' is
The butter-tree is „„e of nature', ™ "f"™ fresh, pure butter.
Mor Co..Tree, of Sou h' Z ,"71^ '"V' '" '""l"*""'^ "'"
Hamboldt's request, analysed the s mof tf^ ^""'"'"S"""' '^'■°. »»
its physical properties are exactiv sin^l * .,°"''""''' '"'"''"•''^ ""at
cept that it is a little more v.scous "T "' ""''' '"''''• «-
an enormous quantity "f wTv " V J """'"•l'"We fo'' eontaining
entire weight. %helttr,e'..detrr''"'" '""^ ""'^-'""^ "^
lacteal by cutting the bark of the tJr™' "*"'" "■'" "»>"*hing
tte auid issues out in TsLl ^ T I'"' "" "'"'' "he" immediately
.»- would fresh! ool'd tilk' ""^^ "•"""" "' " ""? "'"^ "^k
itis with astr„iz»\";rarr.:a;:rr'r °r.
among the ancient races of Amli . ^"P^^'Mwbs prevalent
-p.oducts, ^«c I, dtr :r°"xr "! '";' ■""^' "="""»- °'
liginoas to American soil, else we sll Ju ''u'"" " ""*.ul,tedly in-
-'ritings of some of the 1 0^^, ^"""^ "' '' ""•""S'' "■«
ColumollaorTheopSte bn'n ■'''''.••'""''''■'^''"^'^'"''"''idos,
tte-e. white, on the o h r ;nd afZw" "' " " """"^ "^ ""^ <"
tot voyagers succeeding Sinbus »- i TT "" '^""'™'' "-^ ">«
ferred to. * i^mmbus, aawe has been constantly re-
VH^-VAIM OF THE ANDfCS.
THE WOBLD ASHOM!.
467
"Joseph d'Acosta affirms that maize was one nf fh. „ • • .
cles of food among the savages of .hi .. t""' Pnn^Palaili-
w«, conquered. At the Um^Tu. P . " °"'""""' '™8 ''«'<'« it
w.saaJed,bei„g,.U.Lda t^:,:r Mot' *'"''=° "™ ^'•'"'
i. .teeped i,, h„m„„"h>ood. to thl^eti: i-ateT l;^:" Ar: "'
a.nong .he people, s^Zh^'evtTone St hat TT' '"'^ '"'■"
fed food. When Pi.ar™ mad^e hi f It™:, tru '" f ""''"■
tices St existed. The Tnr«. „«. j *' " s"!"!"'- piac-
tl>i» cereal, which the virZ. Tr"""""^ loaves made Lm
hardened -ith h„ blood oT^rrT':' "V""' ""'•^'"P »' ">e s„„,
in order to prepa e thS^-^ '"t' """^ '"««« 'key '"cerated
gardens theU.ns made titatioloT h! "°"''/""' ''""''' '" '"^'^
which they offered as sacrifice ^""" ^''"" 8°'" «'"' 'il''--
..M. « ™= «"""« PLANT -ITS HISTORY
food and si.: .;; r mlterr """ "'"f"'"' "and she lavishes
.hough in the labo,:™:' oVm dea ^1" ""'^ "'^'"^ P"''"--
iike a miilcy dew from the head tf ourt^e: ^JZT '""'''">"
dispensable to the art of medicine that S h ''*«'«""? so in-
of modern times, said he wo^Fd Tnoun e L:';.rT' ' """■™""^'
prived of this powerful anodvne T? ff^ssion was he de-
belladonna, datura and hrnbane' hv?''' "* Y'"'^ 'tepoisons of
Mtree prepares in its LYsbleTa'bofar" """ "'•<> d^^dty. But
iieCinchoL; natuiToZriiirh J'' ^"«l' P'-e<=i<»'» crystals as
It is the b^Hef of T.J^ >" """""'"^ '''''^'' '« ^^ Potent."
q-.ineis h tly pos tive s:edfio''" '!.™"J """^ «^"™"y' '"-t
same sovereign character flrT °.f V\ ' ^'''' °"' '""'^ *" tl>e
rtioh it is use? a!,trwhfr„ n • "'" •""' "'""^^ '""'""'e the virus .
iaaniiiteresurje a,tatdT7", ''r'""'™'""'-°-*«''>g<»'t.
I ..;^e Pl-.ureCe:;,'::Un^:S''wsr'''''""'''^' '^"■" -"—funt,
In 1638, Count Cinchon bfiFntrvine-re'T''..^-'--^ - ,
Spain, his fliimicf o., ° ■ '-'^-^^o'^'"' "i -reru lor the-eourt of '
»Pe™r. sent him w<«d. th.t'.he...lJir oMhTtiJhbthZtr;
468
8EA AND LAND.
of :i bark whif^h cured their fevers, and might possibly have the same
effoit u|)()n a [xmsou of so exalted a condition, and hejrged of liim,
should his rt'souices fail, at all events to try this medicine of the sav-
ages. The vice-queen, getting worse and worse, the corregidoi was
called to Lima, in order himself to regulate the dose and mode of
preparation of his medicine. But it nniy be easily imagined that no
one was imprudent enough to administer so extraoidinary a powdtr to
the noble patient without some prei-autions ; they theiefore decided
to tiy it on ^ome of the common peo|)le, and it was only after thoy
had cured with the corregidor's bark some poor Spani^h beggars,
shattered with fever, that the vice-queen took it and was cured.
"The inhabitants of the towu of Lima, being astonished at this,
sent a deputation to the c«»nvalescent, begging her to send to Loxa
for a stock of the bark, a request which was complied with. Thi-
countess herself distributed the remedy to all who required it, and
from this time it began to be known by the name of the Countess'
Powder. Some months afterward she gave up the task, handing
over what remained to the Jesuit fathers, who, to their praise he it
said, continued to give it gratuitously, and hence it acquired the name
of Jesuit Powder, which it long bore both in America and Europe."
This is a very pretty story, and may be true in part, but Humboldt
has written some things concerning the cinchona-plant which cause
us to doubt that the people accepted it as a gracious remedy, as La
Condamine tells us. The great German scientist, who traveled in all
parts of South Anierif^a, assures us that the natives, so far from hav-
ing any faith in the virtues of the plant, vigorously contemn it as
l^oisonous and capable of i)roducing gangrene.
THE SOAP AND CAMPHOR - TREE.
There are trees in China belonging to the geims Di/allum, from
which a substance is gathered analogous to soap. The seeds of aii-
, other, tree in China serve the same purpose as soap, for which they
are largely used. The seeds are .first ,dried and pjascerated, after
which they are poured into hot water, where they (Quickly produce ii
strong suds, that will remove greese like magic.
The iSoapivort, says Sowerby, was formerly used by mendicant
friars for washing their clothes, for which purpose the leaves of \k
plant were admirably adapted, as a few of them steeped in water
niade a |)owcrfu! suponinc.
Jhe Oamphor-J^aurel is a native of .India jand Java, where '}i\i^y
issibly have the same
ind l)e<rgt'(l of liim,
medicine of the sav-
, the coiregidor was
; dose uiid mode of
\\y iimigiiied that no
)idinaiy a powdir to
y therefore decided
was only after thoy
[)r Si)ani>h beggars,
ind was cured,
astonished at this,
ler to send to Loxu
implied with. Tin-
i^ho required it, and
le of the Countess'
> the task, handing
to their praise he it
it acquired the name
lerica and Europe."
part, but Humholdt
a-plant which cause
ious remedy, as La
, who traveled in all
Bs, so far from hav-
)usly contemn it as
'nus Dydllum, from
The seeds of aii-
3ap, for which they
1 .^lascerated, after
■ .quickly produce a
used by mendicant
ie the leaves of the
ni steeped in water
^uva, where jt is ,ej'
469
TnE WORLD ASHORK
tenslvely cultlvafcd fm- ii.o
i.-.^ r^^-^mm^l^Z^^^ ^ '" '""'"''' '""'"">■ The
.Xf'''
EXTRACTING MILK FROM
THE COW- TREE."
"ee, Which grows to a <rreat hpirrhf •
P'a-d ,n a retort, wheCh I te IXT ^"^^f^^^P-es and
^ are boiled for a short time. The
■■i?>a».vi<s£5if4.*'^
470
SEA AND LAND.
essence U thus convei-ted into a vapor, which condenses on the
lid of the I'^tort, where it is easily gathered, and is at once mar-
ketable.
THK OIAOLY UPAS TRIK.
Every person has heard of the Upaa Tree of Java, a vegetable
product of the dovil'H rearing. When a little boy I remember huvinij
seen a picture of an upas tree, in the temperance department of rny
father's library. It represented an allegoric tree, in which the trunk
was composed of whisky barrels and the branches of snakes, the lat-
ter hanging head downward and vomiting their poiuon into cups held
by drunkards, while on the ground were skulls and dying men. The
picture made a great impression on me, and excited a horror for
strong drink which may, in part, account for the radical temperance
principles which I still adhere to.
As a matter of fact, the u^as tree is one of the most deadly vege-
table products of creation, though few things have been the subject
of so many fabulous stories as the upas. A Dutch surgeon was the
author of many of these fables, which were implicitly believed for a
long time. He represented it as growing in a vast plain denuded of
all other vegetation. Within three leagues of it no living thing could
exist, for the vapors which it exhaled were certain death to animal,
bird or insect life, so that the ground was strewn with skeletons of
men and other creatures that had breathed its pestilential emanations.
These exaggerations were not refuted until within the last few years,
when Leschenault made a journey into Java, and there found the
upas standing amid a thick forest growth, as innocent of noxious
vapors as the sage and mimosa, while in the branches were lizards
and birds of gorgeous hue. He had one of the trees cut down, and
upon examination found that the waxy exudation issued from the
broken and cut portions of the wood, some of which became acci-
dentally smeared on his hands, but produced no ill results. Further
observation, however, served to convince him that he had been deaJing
with one of the rankest poisons in nature, for had there been the small-
est abrasion of the skin where the juice touched him, he would have
probably forfeited his life to his inquiry. He discovered that a drop of
the juice introduced through a pin puncture was sufficient to kill a
dog within five minutes, while eight drops injected into the veins of a
horse destroyed the i^oor animal in about the sums time* Truyelfirs
telate that the natives punish their women guilty of adultery by prick*
THT! WORLn ASHoKll.
471
omouH snakes of that countrv iinH n.ii .u "**'"® ^''^^^i *» the ven-
",hc ,erpe„t, „, .„e ,.m'L::^„Z' ""■ ""' ""P-P-""^.
Thoie IS a species of nettle, covered with h.i,. i,- .
contact with the flesh of a Immun will i,rol,^ \ " """"'"K '"
powerful that though the Zolnt'L" °T "'"' " P"""'" *»
.«d.fif,y.thous.„dti^ J' „r. ; 1 1";;' """'" ""' ""-•■" '•«"-
tarible. Each of the dlimv h,^™ whff "^r"""' P"'""'"'^^''' ■"«
touch it ever »'„ light., ,^ s'r^'fo . ^i 'L X L "i'^' t"" '"
lie has seen the stins of this netH. >! • .u^' ^'=»<=''«nault says
i»g« for . whole wefk "'^ °" ""^ "'"^' "'*«"«<' »"««-
Another species peculiar to Timnn- „., • i j
»l.ich the natives call tClZiV zZf !. ""''"' "^ '^'■"™''''''
«.e touch, that life U f^^ 'tZTt"'''^ '"''' ^"""'^ ""^ ''''
»fflicledpart. ^ Prese.ved by an amputation of the
ANCENT eoPERSTITIONe ABOUT PLAMTB.
.% ii Llthit^'b^^zt^r^^^^^^^^^ " '"' "■■ •'-'• "■ -^-
lief« .espectino. plants S.°„,. 1 i ''" """"^ ""g"'""- •>«-
all plants had souls „,'.d f^U 1?° V""" . "■»" '"'""y nmiut.ined that
like\hen.eLs 'f'Lo'tier the^rf M*''"™ '""' »"" -" '
beat u„„„ gmtif vi,,° t ;llr '^T, r'S't^ble souls were continually
others 0 levifttrthe'l '°T' "'■"'' '^ ""'"? «""" ""^
'l.i""tonerfmr N I *'"',"'^«y ''«■•« "I™?' seeking some new evil
^4th rsup^^ttTon'trj''^
sod himself. But «he Jt";! fl ' ?/■""' """• '"^ "'P'-'' "■ •>«' »
Sre»tum and carried it . ? ' '^""' "''"PP'"' ''^ «"> s"ge "f A..ri-
^f vegetl^e cr^ o \l'strd™d":;r''"?'!:'''^ "■"""'» '"'''<"''
The ««<;r„fc was Tp ant ll " "^ '"'''' '"ystification.
for they not only at rfbutd ZTf^ ""^'/ "' """'""' ^'''-""•"■-
["telligence, though it soul „t under. he"- J'™' '"^ f ° " """""
believed that wl..n „„ . ,"'""'" '"^ '"lueiice of Satan. Thev
"Wiged to practiee"Vprf«;« '• ° '" "\' -"""^^ ^"•> gathered it were
•g«i"rt it, dSh influent. """"'•"'"»• « "» »» -ie then, pr«,f
i
THB roiSON-TREB, OR UPAS, OF JAVA, WITH FLOWER OF THE RAFFLESIA IN THE FORE-GROWft
473
THK WORLD ASBORB.
473
The Solanea a species of night „h,.de, was also in meat repute
phrastas, gravely describes ,vi,l, all faith in their eiBcacy. T e ce'r
""f """-'^d 'n tracing three circles around the pLt wirthe
pent of a sword, the exorcist all the while keeping his eyes s eldilv
toward the east, while an assistant danced three "tin.es'^ou.d the
plant repeating an obscene objurgation in the meantime.
Roots of -he mandraKe plant were used in enchantments bein..
first ca,.ed ,nt„ semblance of men and women. Th^ w^re 2
groand n,to powder and used as a philter by sorcerers. ^Spec ^ vir
tues were attr.buted t„ this plant, from the belief that it grew mwhe™
except on a spot over which a gibbet had once h„ng,a„d tImUtXm d
nourishment only in the remains of murdered men MoV
philters were, therefore, „s powerful as th.,se ,h .'ch,^ "d Chr
a,,d to add to this belief philosophers like D.oscorid " c ed^ I'
There is a little plant called the Diclamnus, which »rows on the
themselves had first nlanfpfl if .,.,^1 41, . ^
attended one of their feast I'tl, T " '"'"''"Sev, who
morhls When ^ . '""'" '*'" ■"'"•ve'""8 virtues to
ZlT'f ., r " '"^ """"'"y ''"""Jed, Venus gathered the
leavs of ,h,sp|„nt and binding his hurts immediately rfsto.Ji him
r:':h:tr:r:^:::r;:;^^^^^^^^
do r I " rf "' ^ "r "^"'S""'*"' "-^ '^'= "^.'-rend an^d hung o'ver
» powerful wisof r '''' ""-'■""''"■""bali.^tic plant, from ^hich
their Vic ?m„ ad „.d 'T""'' "''"*• ""^''^^ "'«<' '<> i-'^i^""
^r VIC uns and produce the spectacle of the S.ibbath.
■"" 'Cr^'th':;"''.";'!' "'"""•"''"''""« ''^''''- ^«' -Jo- "»'
.sprove the beaut, ful poetic legend to which he gives a place
'f be therefore tells us of the rose from which rude wind.
attempt 1
m
474
SEA AND LAND.
have torn its leaves until, in agony, it sheds tears; and when mur-
dered by frosts, he says the poor, sweet body is carried away by sor
rowing gnomes to paradise.
OARNIVOROU8 PLANTS
We are surprised to find in the vegetable kingdom plants which
must have a solid food, such as animals alone are popularly supposed
to thrive upon. In this, again, we find an apparent evidence of tlie
animal life in plants, since the
general classification of natur-
alists is based as much upon
food as upon organization.
The Venus Fly -Trap, com-
mon in most large gardens, is
an excellent example of carni-
vorous plants. Its leaves are
so many insidious snares for
entrapping insects, as will be
seen by examination. Their
expanded ends each present
two small palettes armed with
teeth set on the edges and all
united by a longitudinal \i\\\»%.
Each palette is also provided
with three sharp spines about
the middle, while at their base
there is an exudation of a sweet
fluid, which attracts flies and
other insects. Now mark how
astounding is the seeming intel-
ligence displayed by the plant
in catching its prey: When a
small, winged creature is at-
tracted to the sugary store and lights upon the leaf, it suddenly
brings its teeth-armed lobes together, like the clo ing of a book,
and pierces, the prey with a gripe which its struggles to escape
only increases. The palettes remain closed on the insect until all the
juices are sucked from its body, nor can they be opened during the
plant's feast wif-lmnf rnntn»>;n'» ♦K«»r« A s^t---! •? \ - ^ >
- _ ^ 'i-s-!....!^ iijviii. xviiiiTiai luwCi '.3 so necessary 10
this kind of plant that if it be enclosed within a wire screen so that
VENUS FLY-TRAP.
THE ^r-yHLl> ashobe. ^^.
insects are excluded, it speedii .anc^uishes • on tl.. ,u , .
of meat are laid on the Iphvoo . "«"'r^^' o» t^e other hand, if bits
grasp that is never relaxed until the flv 2 f ^ , °'"*=^'"' ^"^ "
case it appears that the ,,|..„t ,' „ k ^ '^'<^«/'''"' eJcbaustio,,. I„ thi,
and does „„t suek I el dv T ,! !? / "'" '"'"'' "' "'" "^'^ >'«"!,
ai.o,but it is hardly so Iu„^t:r.t T''^'""-"-'»«^-»'«'=-
since it secretes a glutilriiLnit ? ^'"'"'"''^ .nentioned,
afly oooe lights upl, it rre^r.o"; ^Vo^^ er,'e''''f -t"':' ''''"
glued fast. "^ ' escape, for its feet are
* MAN-EATINO PLANT.
Travelers have told us of a plant whi<.l, .l,,.
tral Africa and also in South Ame nv! .Y" ^^'y »»«»'* g"""™ in Cen-
n..™ad of large insects wMch iH Se '^ ^ c" """""",!'' "'"■ *"»
acity extends to makin.. even 1,„„, •! ^''-''-mes, but its vor-
etable Minolaur is represent d.Tr, """^^ ^''" """''''"'' ''"S-
the top of which radirt~ sJne, ^'^ " *"''' "■'''' '""'^' '"'">
traordn,„ry tenacousness: ^ eres'ofX;"' ''""'"'l'' ""' "' «"
crdagger-like teeth. Instead of'^rl ° ''™"' '"""'••'■■''^.
angle from the trunk the! „n„! 7 !,"'?""'"• "' °' »" "''"""•"d
ground, and so gJe,„I,y:;t tT v di,t"V ;',"" ?'" ""'' "?"» «"e
"« » easy co„!h with ^grt:. '47:::^ f ' '^^^ '-"'^ -">- -
traveler, ignorant of the monstrous c,eat"o„ , hiehT ""l".-^"""''
and curious to examine the strange nialt or f ''^'f''" '" >"» ™y.
■nvitingstalkapproacheswithoualusSuTf '"""'?'' "'^'''■''
moment his feet are set within thr o e „f re l "'"• ^'"'
"se up, ike Ki»antic se.-n.nf. j I . "" '""''"' "Pi'ies, they
teisdrawntpC eI:^:f T'""'''^"^'''^^^"''""''='-'»""til
■-Ms body :nd tts crp^Lt: re mir:''"^,:?:7 r ^ ^-t^
torrid t%p set Zlt '"'" "" "'•^ ^"^""'^ " 'hrown out and the
THE WOELD ASHORli.
477
briefly described, except that instead of th«' fil
resliiigonthegroundlosav,.!,. , B'^ments or spines,
air, like so ma^ l°„„ seZn h, 17 "'r'"^ '"""'"""^ '" "'«
dartingfrom side toside ,, if stril" /"'.""^ "--sion, ooc-a^ionally
prey c:,„es wi.l.in re „ ," ,e sn ' ° '","" T^"""'' '""■ "'''-">eir
0< I "..y l.„ allowed to a I^the^x Z s"" ;""" """""''"' -S-''^
a»d grasp it i„ an nnyi f„! ,X 1 ;; "r^'^''''''^"™''"-'')-
when an the substance of its W^ i li.^":," T™ -f " '"'"" "'"^
erting p.essure up„„ it, „..„. ,,,i^^! fl ,,"''• '" "» "'"o" of cx-
nent nsed in the dar^aC fo „fl''! ' """"^"""'"'='""' ■"»'■-
made of two long iron c^l, dor „, t '" • 'T*"'""" """"'• " -'«
i..-oje„ting pikes. The vie „ ' ,' . •'""."''' ""^ "'"'•'' '™^'-' "harp,
the., brought forcibly t2:,;i'T ""'*.' ""^ """ '"" "'"""'^
pointed pikes i„,„ al ,» t, of I , ,"'*^ " '"""''■''' '"• "'""= "* the
death. Genemlly thi i' q Li^ri rint '' '"" '"■'"''""''' " "«"«"'
™deiy,t„ represent a wlan b ,';;? ""-^ ""'<"=• ^""'-'hat
"TheMaiden,"by whid,iti;:;iuZ„,','r '"""" "'"""' '" " ""^
wonderful plant to the author affi "„ ., 'l"'"™'""' "' describing this
agitates its long, teutade^t sirf "t'L l! oT 7T " ^"">"'"^
each other, produce a hissing uoiTe ; h c t; , J I'l™'""? ,"''°°
pre3s,„„^„^e..eo, the literal translatio,^ o7w i!r i ./"r"' '"
The plant IS therefore kiiown in .So„tl. A., • I . " I Ke you."
He farther asserts that so n d ',, „ " "'""' ^^ "'" "™'" ^"'^"^o-
.oy animal be punctured bvthlK "'^ '''V'™'^ '''»' 'f "'e flesh of
hnmediately forn" f" whthl^h ^''"''^ ''",'■'•»• » ■"PWIv-eating ulcer
^eedily ensues. ""''" '" "" '""'""' •"■"<»<"». --d death
It is a singular thing, and much to be denlo,-.^ if i.
plant exists, that we «,n And no dcscriBtion f > ' . * ™''''°'""'
works on botanv • ,„i,l „„f .,,'"'"'"'"'" «he most elaborate
they have f qnentlTso^: it / . "' .'"'"'"■"''"^ ♦■•''™'^™ "-'«'•»
maf conditio,? but onH' " , ""'^ "'"''^'^ " "hen in a nor-
the destructto ; „ a native T" ""' °''"; ^'"'^''^ ""^ °"<=-' ""nessed
has also been asser ed thaTin T J,'""''""""-^ ™"ght by one. It
:«nd those convicted, f,,,aJ^^; "-f"" """""-^ •"^''■'"'- ""■""-'^
to this m»„..j;i.:„ . vP'^^fl'^'r-'^-heraft, are sometimes fed alive
Oenht, not' that 'theris no f "\ "'"■'=''■ '"""e'er, I am inclined to
el- sometimes mak aCt Ztt" .';^. -«■■ ^""™-t--trav-
I
478
THE WORLD ASHORE.
479
GIANTS OF THE FORESTS.
We have seen ho» curious are the l.abit, of some plants, of which
however, I have only mentioned a few, while the who^ wor ,1 abounds
wuh then, ; but the peculiarity of habit is no „ore curiousVban he
.u,p n.es wh,ch are occasionally ,„et with in the extraordinary si.e „f
vegetable growth not alone in trees, either, but in flowers as velT
For example, we have i„ the ricloria Segina a water-plant whise
leaves are sometnnes s.x feet in diameter, and capable of supporth '
a hdd, whde the flower of the Hajlesia of Java and Sumatra a
colossus almos surpassing belief, being quite ten feet in circumfe,!
ence and we.ghmg as much as fifteen pounds. lu appearance it re-
sen,b es a puff-ball, while it exhales an extremely fJm odor, so that
,t w,ll hardly bec.me popular as a lapel ornament. Still, he . av
aaese prostrates himself before this gigantic fiower, clothes it wkh
supernatural power, and makes a divinity of it.
1.1 Afiicatheregrowsastillmoreextraordinaryflowerincnlant called
the wonderful WelnUocMa, which, estonishhig to relatf,' 1 v y
counterpart m shape of a Pol^^pu,, the most hideous creature in the
eoeaii worfd. It has two leaves ten feet long, of a pale grecu color
which spbt up, under the influence of heat, into ribbons luUie center
a woody mass, having a cork-like surface rising a foot above ground
and bearing round its edges, just within the insertion of the leaves
an assemblage of small stems, about six inches long, dividing too
smaller branches, each of which bears from three to five conef of I
crnnson c„.,;r, with scalp, like those of a fir-cone. The leaves are so
traight gi-amed that they can be torn from top to bottom witho t
deviatuig a single hue from the straight course. Eain i-arely or never
fuls where this plant exists. The plant sometimes attdns eve.
g,eater size than mentioned above, some travelers asserting that they
have seen the leaves eighteen feet in length, and the flower which tt
Ze'etir ;" "'"' "■" "P'^-S % '- --nense clam-shells.
some eighteen inches across. ^^
Giant trees are not confined to Cdifornia, though little is written
abou g,ga„t,o growths in the forests of other countries, and a II-
]onty of persons are therefore in ignorance of many of the most
wonderful uroducts of vegetable creation.
rT'"^'j!^^ ■^''^'" naturalist and author, whom I have so froquentlv
referred to on account of his being the most intelligent observer of
bis tirse, sap there w,. in L^cia a stout thriving plane-tree, in the
480
SUA AND LAND.
trunk of which was seen a vast grotto, eighty-one feet in circumfer.
ence, the whole extent of which had been tapestried by nature with a
GIGANTIC BAOBAB OF THE VIRGIN FORESTS OF AFRICA.
green and velvety hanging moss. Mutianus, who was governor of
tJj§ province, made « merr^ femt upon a special o^oition wittiD ^
THE WORLD ASHORE.
trunk, to which eighteen o-,.«ofa
.pent in boisterous „ I" ^u^ """ ,"""""'• ^'"' *'"' "'gl" ™»
n,er,y-mako..s went to'be<i on le 2 ,"7"'"'' "'""' "■" '"'""'"»
slrances. ° ""^ "''"'™' «■">■• without uuy remon-
HlSTORrOAL THEM OF THE WORLD
is one hundred and fifty feeUn c^^,' V™"'"'"'' "'^ *""'>' <>' "hieh
low is nearly thirty tJt iTaZZT "'^' """^ ""» "'-"•"• •""-
J: h:rar;etr,sr ■•"^^ -"" -' -" '■^-^^. ^^»ee
Ices. It is ca..ed the •■'c.;::, "^I^jZZI^^f ^I'"^-'"^ --
eriy named, too, because it contains «„ „ !•' ^ " ""■'' P™P-
where, on certain days, mass Ts ITd 1 t""""^ '" "'^ ^i'S'-.
bailding, chapel-likefu exterior wlh f """" *''' '"•'"'"y "-o^e 's L
a pious anchorite, who thus I™! ' , • ,7 "" ^ ^'^opinj-room for
of a sinful world The trnut of • T "'""'' "'» »"'*<) ««>e3
fere„ce, and is heid in l^^^'ttZ ''C^ t'h";? '?' '" "'""""-
In the vicinity of Smyrna an^ ,l , P*"'''"'
phorus.theroareWte'TsoanlTh t''.h " """"' "' ""« »-
in antiquity. I„ size they are verZl. ^ "'"''" ""^ «<"<'>'™"^1
pierced with enormous caW^ ', b " .!l^'r • ', ',""■ '"'™ ""''' ''""'"
resenting three converging ctm.f.c^ ^1 " "' ""' '"'^''' "<> ■^P"
i"g.ki„d„faporch,ben!th„rrj''°' ""'■''''"<''' »'''«^f^
Of all trees however?the:reatr:A""'"r'^P"'^""''°'-"'-''.
takes precedence o„ aLconnf :, if t^elid " '"''^ "' '^'' ''''"-•
though it is not famed for gracefuneslrrh u"'^""' "' S'-"""-'
and wide-spreading to be in 1,„1" •:,°' ° '"•'"'«hes are too thick
fatitute ot leaves! bearlnl ttm Jr", ' •"' ''f'^'"- ^'■"-' "'"-s
it» grayish, conical truTk hlrd v7 ^ f "T^ "'° ""'"■' '''"■">' ^<'««« '.
one hundred feet in cLl mftnc"^ Thfs T l" ':'^'"' '^ """" """
necessary to sustain its incrrdlblv'l», ^ ' ""^ ''"''"*' ^W't i3
"bieh is sometimes so C thaf ^'V"'"" "' ''"'^' *''« '»'"' »'
'""ta rather like a smaUfTrUrhL",'" " *"'""««.">« baobab
«irty feet long. ' *'° '' '"'S'» '■•'^«. i** branches bein^
i-nth7ti irrJ::^ °""r ^"™ -"™-'' ^^^ '--
-rve, the purpose of miJ^.n^ !, th ""T "'"""""• """'^ »■"'"'"
tt' people of 'a town i" Germany """■'°'' "' "" "'"' °™» ^^"^
31§ ''^'
of
THE WORLD A8HOBE.
lo>™,. ,lo,,o, „f ^t,,.,. a" "™et t^ ' "'°° "'™'' """^I'O- "» the
Count Itoruh »,„„„ v^r, „,r .1 "'™.1""""="' »' 'l'i« tree, mado by
e«ce of „,.„ uu.ajz ,s; :r "l;::' ^ "" "{ " "--"■'--
tho bodies of all groat troo, a l,l„: ! ?^ """S '«'"'»^. "x "le
l.e.d and hi. flooklind .spL did ™ ^''''^t' 'h ""' "'""" " ^''«"-
"M»i..» l.i. wood fro,,, its l„aacho7 a„d i.^fT""' " "'"""• """"O" '">
a., abundanoo of fruit. ' ""' •""""""■ '' "ffoi'ds him
TI.O" Chestnut of a Hu„d,.od Ho.'scs " nw., •,
tie vast oxtout of it, |,ra„ehes but ,1 . """'" "<" ""1^ *»
the painter Houol to the effoc 'tba, """"' '»" ""■"'"•''tanoo told to
ingfron, Spain to Naples^tol d t « T' ^'■"^""' "'""' *™«"-
""Mlityof Catania, p'aid'a W^ „' 1' , Xl'' "81°""""'^" "^"■''
bacic, as wero also her suite and a s,l,., ®''° ™'' "" l""'*'-
underthis tree, the extonsi; foli:^'T;,r:'s!Z' f." """ ^"^"'^
luecnand her oavaliors from the r„;„ ™'"'"*'-'"' '" Pratect the
travel with a bundled ho,-sos the <■!,•,! 1' . "•''"'"'" '* "^P'Med to
We in the name of fho tree """""^'"""^ " thus made memora-
would regard as ordinary trls^ I, 1^ ■»,."" «»»-<ied by what we
'vhich are so rcverentiulfy rZ^ll f^f /,°% ' ''''^"'"' "^ L"'"""'".
Jerusalem was Ia,-gely made ^f 1., ',''* ^'"'' """ "■" temple of
and fi%feet,and:,/thou„l,t to be !?"''•'' "'^'" "^ "^ '■-"-'i
'te Andes, to whieh I ha^ UreaH T' .'"■ '''" ""^"P"'"" <"
crowns in the elouds two hu^d d ftt , "''1' ""' """ "--'^O
gracefully beautiful sight. """ "" ^'"•"'' ""<» "fford a
But when we consider the lofty trees of m. , ,
l>«e with the titanic products of plbf *•>« "<"■'<), none will com-
«< that State measured oZZa^^f ""T ^"' "' ""> §■■<"'» cedars ■
«'«i reared its hoary head to fb H? fT^^^' '" "i'-'-n-ference,
ta- Unfortunately, this mlhtv,! "V?\'"""'-'' "-« ninety
™^t down by some unk Iw" tus nT't ° ''ir'"'^ *°^'^=' *-
«»ns and transported to v^r ,!: '''"■■»■''' ^as been cut into
WW of the trmfk was s" ZTtCT"' " ""™^"''=^- ^he
W mauosuvre in it. Upon afj . company of foot soldiers
"ted themselves in dslo"! le li ", '""'""' " P""^ "' *-^"ty
UMcing, leaving plenty of room besides for a
..I MtBl-fai
ill'
484
SEA Aim LAI7D.
piuii'v <»'u\ t 0 i8lcian8. TJh* age of these Californiu mammoths,
compuiw,^ by the u. ,uiil rings in u tnin^yorse section of the btunips,
nl^ow them to be between thine thousand »i..) four thousand years old
qr contfcinporaneous wilb biblical creation.
OON TEMPORARIES )F THE DELUQE STILL LIVING.
The grmf ry^e ui-f-oided the giant tie«'H <,f California suggests a very
interesting bub)W!t, -somewhat elaborattu by Pouchet, to whom I am
indebted for many of the facts here used. What are the oldest t liin/js
on earth? Possibly the granitic hills, but even these do not sho\ve\i
dences of greater antiquity than some trees, the souls of which many
philosophers assert are sentient and immortal.
The olive tree, so revered in ancient Greece, and which inspired
such beautiful verses in the tragedy of "^dipus" by .Sophocles, ac-
cording to a hoary n^yth, reached an immense age. Pliny declares
that in his tinrie the celebrated olive which Minerva caused to spring
from the ground, ul the epoch of the foundation of the city of Cecrops,
was still to be seen in the citadel of Athens.
The races of early history, struck with the noble and royal aspect
if the oak, have in all ages invested it with curious legends, in
nearly all of which the tree appears as a sentient thing. The ^rreat
holm-oak, which in the days of Pliny ,st-.od near Rome, bore on its
trunk an Etruscan inscription in letters of brass, stating that before
the founding of the Eternal City it was already the object of popular
veneration. The same Roman naturalist tells us that in the environs
of Heraclea, in the kingdom of Pontus, there was a tradition that
two oaks, which overshadowed the altar of Jupiter Stragius, Ijad been
planted by Hercules.
The imposing terror of the Hercynian forest has deeply impressed
all those who have described Germany, and particularly Tacitus and
Pliny. The aged oaks of its somber vales, where wander.,, tb oik
and aurochs, especially aroused the admiration of historian;?, .n.' 'o
which Tacitus refers as follows;
*• The majestic grandeur of the oak in this forest surpasses all im-
aginable belief ; this tree has never been touched with the axe; it is
contempoiary ith the creation of the world, and appears to be the
symbol of imrav. ^•'ii^^- '^
lf^A-;ORTALITY IN TREES.
T..e idea of yrn"; - .aiity in ti-v /^ is often met with in the works of
the ancients. Taua tjosephus, in Ms history of the Jewish Far, re-
seen at
and is ce
Cortez b
posed of
small pie(
botanists,
yond our
feet in ci
growth is
not less tl
to the timi
to be astoi
beings, th
amid the d
vigor."
neDra
St (Mug ev
Itnow that '
tants of T(
mass was c(
is the growl
taken of its
not percepti
tie peak ol
the ground,
I
THE WORLD A. -oRg.
mSmn
I»t«s that in his tim« ( ,„,„ „^^ .
tree which m„ a, old „, ih. .lays „f Adam ^'"'"' " '""-Kentine-
" It « now a hundred year. •' ,' 'v P , .
iiiKeaious calculations, showed th., I, , ,' " ''"™ Adaneon, i,y
ex.raordiu.ry. are yet facts „,,?„;, ™'' "f «-" "eas. though
outuralist, by a l,„,,.,y chauee f """l'' lous exactitude. This
Baoia,, i„ L of' life t ,0 V d "i ;" "" ■"""•'"■• "' "- '-'k of „
'«" """''d O" it by the Bullish u,o,"r I, m" '""'"''"""' "W-l" had
oasly. Ptartu,. f ,v„n this ; i,,t „d !„t ^r"""' ^""^ I---
sloms ..f n, ,„y Of these,l,u^; t, "^ "'P"'"'^ "'» ''"""^■'«» of the
prov,n„ th„( the most vi,rorous ofihl ■ """"^ «"ccec led in
Atricn forests .night he"n least ^1° """",""' '"'"''''°'"' <" ">->
• A bare-headed cvores, , bousand years old.
kinsdom.has possibly traveLdTs'; M "■"""■''"■^■'' "' ""> '"S^'-'-'o
«„ at the present day on t ,e ,> ,d f ""^ v "'"""' »«-• " -
."d is celebrated for bavin! s elte ed ,1 7"'" ^"" '" «"!">■
Cortez beneath its .nighty's ade'm '""™ '"-"'^ "' l''"-"»"<'o
posed of six hundred Spanish footso Idlrs 7'f ", '^'"'"^ "* ™'»-
sarnll pieces of a.tillery). The birth nf ,1'- ? ^ horsemen, and nine
lK>t.aists, seens to date from an eoocl, ' "•:<'• "^'-'ling to some
yondour ken. As its t. JkX//s ''T;'' '^ '''"''"'''' '"
'eet in circumference, s„,.pas el hit of tl k"'!' "'"' '"'''"''-
growth is slower than theirs, De G.,ln ''" ''""'""»'> ""^ "« Hs
»ot less than six thousand « .rs o d hT"'"' ""'' *''='= ""'J' be
lo the time anterior to the M^r "''';."''"='> ""■•'•ie^ back its origin
to be astonished at seei"e bo , ^i ri' ,"''""'">''« "« -S"' ■>"
Wngs, the life „f whicl is u,dt t d J' """" "'"'^ "» Romany
«».i<i the debris of former clt^ ysTs ' ill "T "' "'"■"''• "o™
vigor." "aciysms, still vegetate full of sap and
The Drafim's-Blood Trr,- of T«.,....« •
f ■ '-g evidence of the ext'aoS arv I' '" " '"" ""'" ^■■'""'- «"<»
know that ve.-y anciently the Gu nch.7 T '°"'" *'''''^ """'"• We
tanU of Teneriffe. wo,4,,ldi and ,7 ."•"''! ''^ """«'"»' '"'■■"'i-
--^s celebrated in the' ':?, w ' t "t"r„nk ""^ "'^-"' <=-tu^
"thegi-owth of this tree ti,,f f' t™"k- So extremely slow
"'«" of its trunk, in 402 bv .heT " ^■"' ''™"""' ■-oasufemart
»ot perceptibly incVeased"!' .'f.l''! '""'Pf'"-' "t Bothencourt. it ha!
>4e peak of Teneriffe, h,"l797r.'' "'"",""''"' "-hen he ascended
*« ground. ...d found it UylTeeTrL" T """'"'» '"«'™
ny ave feet m circnmforence, or the same
^^■^\
THB OtrXTA-FERCHA TREE.
486
tHE WORLD ASttORfi. ^gy
CHAPTER XXVII.
CONFLICT BETWEEN MAN AND BRUTE.
fATUEE i, ingenious, in all her works, but she is no les, eeo^n
I no, vewod from the position which man occujes wZ
l>oro ,s a „,arvclo„s adaptation invariabl/^U ,ayed Tere
the least Ze^ir^^:,' '"'rz::^""'"'"^' '"'^^ ^''^'^ --
necessary to the develolent „! ""'"S"'™"' of "nimals a wise law,
biyitisL.hutttt ■ ;;^:x^^^^^^ P«-i-
i«stiee of that inexorable mnndatn wl ■ ^^ '^'^oni-g out the
»l.»ilbeaprey for th tr^^:^"'" Tylll rt'" "f ''" """'"'^
the fittest finds ready olueidutfo, in th! '^ "' " '""■''™' »*
transpire about us, b„r the f f ""="'' "'"'^'' constantly
iustifieation as defined by the n!l T'^'f "' "'"' ""'' ""» ^^''^ "^
iionwill eat the I nb be' n ! 7 f '''? 1'' ''"'• """'"'""''■ "">»
tare, therefore, just fies it 1^ ► '■"' ^'"' " '° "» ^"' "»" "»-
at the cruel nature ofthov'nrr. '"r"' ^"' ™° "'»tinctively shudder
illustration of I^il™ o Z'T^e'r 'oV ri ' V" f"" " ''"^'"^
we subsist largely on the flesh" f^ 1 ^ L ,1 'el"* ^ ^=""''
«se, and by patroniziug the butcl.er o iusH^ 1/ ^ *"'"'"' "'P"""'
» hard heart that can l™,k „„„ i ' '^ """"'" ^et it is
*er. The nmrdern ^^ ^'jn'rathy, at the killing of a
victin, as it rXit " at : " S".-c-steeped knife, or the weUering
"nplnnts within us the disposit"^™ 'ti llll „d Z T "''l^ ""'""
■ conscience to r..|>i,t„ *!,„ . ! ' ' "' "'" *""« '"nc. the
paradoxic! the act, thus rendering our lives twofold and
It
is hardly fair to argue that but for this
dence the world must soon be
wise provision
overrun with redunda
of Pi
ovi-
l)opuIjitions,
488
SEA AND LAND.
for ,t were just as reasonable to maintain tliat plagues serve the same
purpose, and ,0 attempt to arrest thorn is, aecordi^gly, the oontravea
g of a just law of nature. Without charging nature with the cri„°e
of n,c,t,„gto murder among all animal creation, let us accept the
anomalous fact and feel within ourselves that the reason th«- fl,
C."eafor ""'''""''"' '" "'' »«'«rtheless rests in the bosom of the
HOW THE LfON WINS HIS BRIDE.
Since we live in a world filled with struggles, where killino- is an
jmplanted propensity in both man and beast, whether as pastime o
the means of securing food, let us examine the habits of the more de
8truct,ve brutes that terrorize the forests, and the expedients adopted
by man m contending with them. In pursuing this subject I shall
first consider the Lion, that fierce Sultan of Atlas, who roams i
African wilds a ventable^king, so powerful that man alone has cour-
age to dispute his sway. Although m.de common by his exhibition
m numerous menageries, and also by the stories which recite the
perilous adventures encountered by bold spirits who hunt him i„ his
native jungles, still, the lion is a creature whose habits few under'
stand. To see him shorn of his freedom is to behold the lion under
disadvantages which have robbed him of his royal mien and made a
very cur out of the grandest beast nature ever desi-ned
The l,o„ is peculiar to Africa, though it is also lound in Asia, hut
not the ferocious beast that infests the dark continent. Formerlv
they were numerous in Algeria, but the march of civilization has
driven hem into the far interior, where they are now found in con-
siderable numbers. Their habits are more like those of the cat than
any others of the feline species, save in the particular of sexual asso-
ciation In the February mating-time of birds, the lion seeks his
consort, not by parading his beauty, but by exhibiting his prowess.
It IS a singular fact that there are more male than female lions, when
the opposite seems to apply to all other animals. This preponder-
ance of males leads to the most terriffic combats that imagination can
conceive, for, while polygamy is common to many animals, polyan-
dry seems to be impossible with the lion. Since all cannot, therefore,
be provided with a spouse, the right of choosing mu.t be determined by
a resort to battle. Occasionally, at the mating season, a lioness will
nave three or font' vnpni' o'if'^r" 4'-^" L-,- ^ - * =
. , J "''"o ---"ii^ro roi liui iuvors, and these may strive to
win her affection by good natured purring and courtly fawning, with-
?ues serre the same
igly, the contraven-
ture with the crime
, let us accept the
he reason therefor,
the bosom of the
vhere killing is an
ther us pastime, or
its of the more de-
sxpedients adopted
this subject I shall
las, who roams in
an alone has cour-
by his exhibition
which recite the
lo hunt him in his
labits few under-
M the lion under
mien and made a
ned.
ound in Asia, hut
inent. Foimerly
f civilization has
[)w found in con-
ic of the cat than
ir of sexual asso-
tie lion seeks his
ting his prowess.
imale lions, Avhen
This pieponder-
t imagination can
animals, polyan-
mnot, therefore,
3e determined by
>n, a lioness will
Bse may strive to
V fawning, with-
480
THE INTERRUPTED FEAST.
>' ' / ' -A*-
490
SfiA AlfD LAND.
out fighting. In such cases, the coquette most generally leads her
lovers distractedly about the forest, until they meet an old monarch,
who chooses to wed the lioness himself. Hot-headed, as youths usually
are, the pretendants will at once give battle to their new rival, pilintr
on him in a concert of charges, reckless of consequences, until per-
haps one has a jaw broken, another a leg crushed and the third an
eye torn out, all happy at length for the good fortune which enabled
them to escape without fatal injuries. The contest being concluded,
the royal gladiator shakes the tangles from his bloody mane, and
with a long, resonant, reverberating roar, he approaches the listless
female and lays down at her feet, the very ixmpersonation of obsequi-
ous devotion, which she probably notices by condescending to lick
the blood from the wounds received as the price of her favors.
A TERRIBLE BATTLE BETWEEN TWO LIONS.
The incident of youths battling with an elder for the possession of
a lioness is only occasional, but it is a common circumstance for two
mighty monarchs to lay the wager of their hearts in terriffic combat
for the espousal of a valor-loving dame. Such a fight is described
by Gerard, the great lion-hunter, to whom the facts were related by
a native, who, in company with his son, watched the battle from the
branches of a tree. The account is as follows:
"It was in the stag's rutting season, and Mohammed, a great hunter
of every kind of wild animal, perched himself at sunset in the boughs
of an oak tree, to watch for a doe that had been seen wandering in
the vicinity, accompanied by several stags. The tree which he had
climbed was situated in the middle of a large clearing, and near a
path that led into the neighboring forest. Toward midnight he saw
a lioness enter the clearing, followed by a red lion with a full-grown
mane, bearing the carcass of an ox, and soon after followed by an-
other lion, lioness and three cubs. The lioness strolled from the path
and came and laid herself down at the foot of the oak, while the lion
remained in the path, and seemed to be listening to some noise, as yet
inaudible to the hunter.
"Mohammed then heard a distant roaring in the forest, and im-
mediately the lioness answered it. Then the lion commenced to roar
with a voice so loud that the frightened hunter let fall his gun and
held onto the branches with both hands, lest he might tumble from
the tree.
" As the voice of the animal just heard in the distance gradually ap-
■■%m.j
*mm
n CO gradually ap-
THE WORLD ASHORE. ^g,
preached, the lioness welcomed him wifh ,.«« ^
.hec,eari„g. Xhe Hone. ^i^ZT^t^^^tlTv'''
divmed her intent, rushpfl hof«,.« u i ^ ' "^ *^6 "on
wit"n a dozen paces of each othe, tLrrtarai^-ff. J^
THE BATTLE OF THE MONARCHS.
ctS Zrt! '""" *'* ^"" """ S™'' "^--J «■-• They
Th th „ ^t Zivl^rT'' P— ""O "-en bounded with a
" Thf h?,fi ■ °" *''° i^'"""' ''"='^«<' 'n tk^ir last embrace
midXht d»^ "tL b° "'/T*' *" *'"' -voluntary witness of 3
Towe fnl ,-» »^ . ?™' "^ "'" '"•' «°">batants cracked under their
loud. tXlttrl?::!^"''^^' ■">" «""-»'. -w sharp and
----3 , "gr^ijj,
hop t luff r'"^ °* *''° '"'"'°'' "'° "o"'™ "rouohed herself on
i« belly. Wth her eye, fi»d npou the gladiators, and all the wbH"
ii
492
SBA ANt> LAND*
the battle raged manifested, by the slow, catlike motion of her tail,
the pleasure she felt at the spectacle. When the scene closed, and all
was silent and quiet in the moonlight glade, she cautiously approached
the battle-ground, and, snuflSng the dead bodies of her two lovers,
walked leisurely away, without deigning to answer the gross, but ap-
propriate, epithet Mohammed hurled at her instead of a bullet, as
she went off."
COQUETRY OF THE LIONESS.
This example of conjugal coquetry and infidelity of the lioness is
applicable to all her species. What she desires is a lover full grown
and brave, who will drive away the young lions, whose beardless chins
and constant quarrels offend her delicacy and disturb her repose.
Such a lover she is sure to find, although she may not keep him, for
the moment that a braver lion appears she gives him always a ready
welcome. The lion, however, does not appear fickle in his matrimo-
nial adventures, for having once won a spouse he remains not only
monogamic, but so true to her that he never forsakes her for another,
and all the while bestows the most lavish affection upon her, unworthy
as she is.
When the royal couple leave their lair, both in going and coming,
the lioness invariably leads the way, and when she pauses the lion
stops until she is ready to proceed again. Upon arriving at a spot
where they intend foraging for a meal, the lion now precedes his
spouse, who lies down to await his adventure. He boldly dashes
through the thicket or attacks the native kraal, and with deer or ox,
or whatever his capture, he goes directly to the lioness and lays it
down before her. Singularly enoiigh, instead of regaling himself at
once upon his prey, he patiently waits beside his consort until she has
completed her repast, apparently taking great pleasure in witnessing
her gratification.
The lioness usually becomes heavy with young in January, when
she seeks a dense thicket and there prepares her lair in which to de-
posit them. The number of young produced at a birth is from one
to three, but most commonly two, a male and female; but if only
one is born, it is almost certain to be a male; so, in a litter of three,
two of them are equally sure to be males, so that the preponderance
,of one sex over the other is due to the inequality in reproduction, and
not to disproportionate fatality among the young, as we sometimes
find it in other animals. The period of teething is the crisis in the
THE WOBLD iSHOBE. ,a«
lives of young lions, when nearly one-half rfl^ h...
sex than of the other The ofH li "".,'• ''°' »» """■« of one
fcthe sustenance of the lelZhrr" "" "■«"'-'■>-«"■
though he sleep., in a senaJ !tir ''"'""]'*'■ ">"'*''"'l »"lchf„lness,
his a:sistanco L/be ^ZT^ZZlT. "' '"™^'' "''""''" ""' ""'
When the rounglhr^^Tbort T""" ""I '"'""'■
leaves the™ i se°a oh for food " j .' '""'"" "" "" '"""'«■• «™'
the cubs are someti Jes "■ kfrt th, ''"^ ^er temporary absence
to undertake the dZ ft e Llard IT; l'",''™ '"—'•'g''
then,. To accomplish this most Wdo^s ,te™ L" '"T "r"^
very great, as the' X"!! i:,2„T:i,: IZi"'''- '"» ^-"--""
ess'llr:etrto^:;it:''."''-''r''','' "^^^^ ^--red a .ion-
taking then, whe'n theyl ful t Tn i"tth"""'':'l''; "■'" "^
and more than a mouth elapl the "h^ ea fed Th '"'^''•""'"^
boring sheik, and with sixty meLfrU he twoti Z ""' " '""«'-
to surprise the youn^ lions in thT I . ' ""^ contrived
bear then, a,vay This wondell '""'"T,.'" "'^ '"•'"'''■• »»d
venturers and after »!•• '"'"''*' delighted the native ad-
uiurers. and, after gaming a considerable distance from th« i •
they retired carelessly within their rude tent, .hTl- .u '
nothing more to fear Th„ „i.- t thinking there was '
weapon he Zt^h'; ef tfrl f' ^h ." ^T Th^^ing aside his useless
ory rom the Jdn of cl ? u '"t"" "' *''" *•""«• ^-^ "i'^out .
J II tnepjin of crunching bones, he dronrki.n:.*-'-!"- M • i,
"and and lodged tw^ h..iu* ~ i. . ' " ' p^^vui nuu the right
the lioness Sed her WH '" 1 *"*"''• '^'"'"S'' b^dly wounded
Mother natke butt ,h °" "■? . "^Ph""'* arm only to spring at
* *"" ^ "'•« "-"^ '•'"biug towards him with wide dis-
494
SEA AND LAND.
ri
'■S-'. iij'-'
tended jaws he fired a ball into her throat, which, however, did not
stop her. He was seized by the shoulder and thrown down, his
right hand ground to pieces, and he was sadly torn in other places,
but his life was spared by reason of the lioness dying on his body.
Though he was not killed he was rendered a sad cripple for life, while
the nephew was so badly bitten that he died the following day."
Young lions begin foraging for food when about eight weeks old,
but it is not until they are two years of age that they can strano^le a
horse, ox or camel, or leap hedges seven feet high. But havinc
attained this period they become wantonly destructive, killing as much
for the mere gratification of the deed as to procure food, and their
ravages among cattle are sometimes terrible. They do not reach tiieir
full growth until the eighth year and run their natural course of life
in from thirty to forty years, this being the limit.
The lion is essentially a nocturnal animal, procuring all his food
during the night, and wliiling away in sleepy indulgence the day.
A PECULIARLY 8HOOKINQ INCIDENT— EATEN BY A LION.
I have frequently heard it said, and also seen it written, that the
lion never attacks man except as a measure of defense or else when
driven to it by excessive hunger. This impression obtains from the
fact that, met with during the day, the lion is comparatively harmless,
because he is drowsy and satiated, being indisposed at this time to
even attack his favorite prey. But at night he is a terror to man,
just as he is to cattle, for he would not hesitate to attack one as
quickly as the other. This is proved by the large number of persons
who are destroyed by lions ; the number is not so great now, on account
of the scarcity of the animals, but forty years ago it is estimated
that ten thousand persons were killed every year by this terrible
brute. The figures are no doubt the merest guess-work, and proba-
bly exaggerated, but the loss was certainly appalling enough.
As an illustration of the ferocity and daring of the lion before
men, I will quote the following particulars of a shocking tragedy
which occurred in the southern part of Algiers some years ago, in-
deed before the occupation of the country by French troops :
Two brothers, notorious bandits, whose renown had spread through-
out all Algiers, were taken by a party of soldiers and thrown into
prison. The Bey at once resolved upon their death, and to render
their escape less probable, for they possessed extraordinary address
and hardihood, he ordered that they be bound together by means of an
however, did not
thrown down, his
•n in other phices,
ying on his body,
jple for life, wliilo
lowing day."
t eight weeks old,
ley can strangle a
gh. But having
k^e, killing as much
e food, and their
do not reach their
iral course of life
iring all his food
;ence the day.
A LION.
written, that the
ense or else when
obtains from the
ratively harmless,
3d at this time to
a terror to man,
to attack one as
umber of persons
tnovv, on account
0 it is estimated
' by this teri-ible
wrork, and proba-
; enough.
' the lion before
shocking tragedy
le years ago, iu-
li troops :
1 spread through-
and thrown into
li, and to render
ordinary address
sr hy ujeaus of an
m
-fl.
496
SEA AND LAin).
iron band welded around their legs, passing around the right ankle of
one and the left of the other, the two bands being connected by a
chain. This was accordingly done; nevertujloss, when on the nionow
the executioner came to their cell to behead them, he was astounded
to find them mis.sing, nor could anyone explain their extraordinary
disappearance. The two brothers, as soon as they were free from tlio
prison enclosure, made unavailing efforts to pry off their cumbersome
shackles, but finding this impossible, fled across the country, uvoidiiifr
as much as possible the frequented paths. When daylight came they
hid themselves in the rocks, and only resumed their flight with the
evening, being lighted on their way by the faint rays o'f a crescent
moon and the bright hope of freedom. Thus they had traveled u lon^
distance when, in the middle of the second night, one of the brothers'^
who chanced to be awake, discovered an approaching lion. His only
weapon of defense was a spear, which he had picked up upon coiiiin<r
out of the prison ground, but this could avail him nothing aguins"
such an antagonist.
When the sleeping brother became aroused the two began throwino
stones at the lion, and culling out as loud as thev could, in order to
make him flee, but the animal crouched down before them and did
not move. Seeing that the stones and menaces were of no avail, the
frightened men commenced their prayers ; but before they were iiii-
ished, the lion sprang upon them, and throwing them to the ground,
devoured the elder while still chained to the body of his youix^er
brother. The living man, as he heard the dying groans of his fated
relative, and the crunching of the lion at his hideous meal, counter-
feited death by swooning away into unconsciousness. When the lion
had consumed the body down to the shackle, finding that he could not
tear the iron, he contented himself with biting off the limb and leuviii<r
the other part still held in the iron band. Then, either from thirst or
satiation, the animal left the still living man and walked to a brook a
little distance off. No sooner had the lion disappeared than the man
recovered from his faint, and springing to his feet, bounded off
through the woods, dragging the mangled limb of his brother with
him, until he reached a crevice between two large stones, in which he
took refuge, and speedily barred the entrance with a rock, which, for-
tunately, lay convenient for the purpose. Scarcely had he thus de-
fended hjs rpfrpnt wJion *ho li'^n c,,.,;ffl.. C„li ; _, i- . r
- —I- s _t-i, ...I,,!. ^,K, iK/il, arrilt-ij iwiiuwlllg; UIl tJIS irUCK,
arrived before the small q^\q and roared in thunderinj; tones, enousli
THE WOKLD A8UOHE.
"^0 9
to affright the senses of the mn«f
«ch the ,„an from LulX^ZZ""'; ^""''■"S •■» ""uld not
holo, .„d at last poked hia nose d ' '7. ^'t" """"•' ""<" ''"'»™ »he
hot breath npon the n,a„ „„t . ' " T^l " """'"^ »"'' •"«" •■'»
But daylight „„„ appeChe", : '!:" """"f.""" "™'— '« >■-•
...d took himself off to the wood! "'■"""""""J »"» """"ded vietim.
The trembling fugitive thua ,. li • i ..
iU hiding-place" anisumeu hi. fli;;,^ T: T'^"' "■''"•'^'' "»' <"
prehended by some horsemen se ,t 1« ' I 'l" "'" ""'" ""<"• "P"
bn„ back to ConstantincrhUhe t; tlX"'" ^'- '""'' """^
The Bey, astounded at the tale his so ^r !. 1 ™ '"'° P"'™-
dercdtheculprit to bebroughUnto his nl '""!,' """"^ '"*"'"'• •'^-
himsclf of its truthfulness The „ ' "'"'' """ •"> "'■gh' ^'ti^fy
after him the leg of his u f^^l^.T^t;:: TT""'' ^"" ""-"'"^
ulars of the tragedy in such a «t alhtw'd f,'"'''''''''' ""^ ^""^
™ -- ^y «;^-o.. d ordere^Zt- l,t hTritr;: ^^
The Arabs of AttcrthZb "" "'"■""' '"' "»"•
"-.a of the b,acke;t::ibtt : otrrr ;:r4' "" r « ^^'-^
the destruction of a lion save in snm. T • """^ ■•"••ely attempt
•void all danger to themselvCTbe?*' "■""""■ ^-^ «'"<='■ '4
fore, is to dig a large. .iZj'bli", t- IT"" '"'"°"'' ">e.e-
close, their village. The lio,rh„v^, f " '1'"'' hedge-row which en-
«pon the flock, t"he Ara^s ^n^ZltuUT "^'^"' '^™-"-
deer, the lion always jumps in tre »»!„ t^ P" ''"'^' "k» 'te
that the animal canao dlcover the "rh" "^ ^'"' '"^'^S"- '^ ^^ "'ick
nearby, he leaps i„ expec ation f a Ir ^° "'' ''^'"™g ""e cattle
-If imprisoned, and a'howW lb ofT """J' """ '" "■"• '''"'-
thirsting for his life. Unableforbfl ^f "'"' "''"''» "^'h^ad
"e»» and stands defiant, recevin. Si. ^f ""' P"'"^'"'' h'' helpless-
"i5!.«utagr„ananddy'inTnrf^ „ : tt*'" ''' ''^^ '"'" "^
The method which is next t^ ti.. -^ •
'He Ambs, is that of Z"Ztill Itf '" foP-'^^'y. ""d practiced by
"P i» the trees. ^Z^Zll l^T/t'V'''"': '" '"' ^"""^^ »
greuod they first diff a hole abi^,t //''"'« "■« ''""' '""■the
»hich they cover wfth tht trunks :ft 1 ^T """' "' «""»' -J^P"-
l»°Phole at each .„d ..„.,_"..? '""^ "'"1 ^'ones, leavimr onlv^
y thatcloses with a 'i;:^^""' T^:^ T' ^""- "'"^ " '''""-
' «i>Se that the ir„„ ...t„ ^'!" ''''"'' '« »nly constructed
••*.
32g
takes
«verynight,«ud in order to bring him
498
SEA AMD LAND.
to the spot and arrest his attention so that deadly aim may bo taken
a hog is killed and laid in the path, within convenient range of the
men in the blind. Though several balls may be fired into a lion's
body, approached in this way, it is not often that the animal is killed
outright, but conies charging at his foes, directed only by the .sound
of the guns, and unconscious of the fact that his enemies are benoath
him. Stung with rage and pain he finally quits the 8i)ot and goes off
into the woods either to die or recover from his wounds, for the
Arabs are too regardful of their precious lives to follow him.
LION HUNTINQ ON FOOT, FACE TO FACE.
In Northwestern Nigrit, or what is now known as the Soudan, there
is a mountain called Zerager, which is scantily wooded, but whose
sides and peaks are covered with enormous rocks, piled up by 8ome
mighty convulsion, so that crevices and caves abound — the very best
shelter for lions, whiph in former years were quite numerous. At
the foot of this mountain is a rich and extensive plain occupied by a
race called the Cessi and their vast herds of cattle. On these flocks
it was the custom of the mountain lions to lay nightly tribute, so that
the poor people were in constant harassment from these bold depre-
dators, though they hunted the despoilers with great bravery and
pertinacity.
When a lion first gave indication of his presence, either by a rob-
bery of the cattle pens or by his deep roaring on the mountain at
night, the news im.nediately spread from mouth to mouth, and prep-
arations were made throughout the camp — for the Cessi lived in lai^e
kraals-— to give the brute battle. The hunters congregated at an
agreed spot, bringing with them such weapons as they could procure,
but which were indifferent at best.
■ The moment of the arrival of the men, who have previously exam-
ined the woods for signs, is one of breathless interest, for they are
not conspiring to make war upon a harmless game in which mere sport
is the incentive, but the brute whose life they seek has the strength of
fifty men, and the grinding grip of whose powerful jaws some one
of the hunters is almost certain to feel, and a dozen may pay the
extreme penalty for confronting the most dangerous of all animals.
The hunters, having arrived within gun-shot of the lion's lair,
creep with ereat caution to a snot, whioh nvor-lrirttu ti^^ n«,rni..fiio
utmost quiet must be observed, for the lion has a wonderfully quick
ear, and the cracking of a twig or rolling of a stone 'm (Jei-taio to
aim may be taken,
Biiient range of the
J fired into u lion's
the animal i» killed
only by the sound
nomies are benoiith
10 8[)ot and goes off
is wounds, for the
ollow him.
lOE.
s the Soudan, there
Yooded.but whoso
, piled up by some
jnd — the very best
ite numerous. At
)laln occupied by a
. On these flocks
itly tribute, so that
these bold dcpre-
»reat bravery and
!, either by a rol)-
11 the mountain at
mouth, and prep-
IJessi lived in large
!ongregated at an
tiey could procure,
e previously exam-
rest, for they are
1 which mere sport
las the strength of
L'l jaws some one
►zen may pay the
s of all animals.
)f the lion's lair,
rca 4'r\£i rifwran* ■ flio
*»_' VJt.'",' \\^r\.-i J '-■•••'
vonderfully quick
tope U pei-taio tQ
500
SEA AND LAin>.
arouse him, when, unlike most game, instead of taking alarm he
boldly advances toward the place from whence the noise proceeded.
By a well understood code of signals the advance, or skirmish hunt-
ers, communicate to those in the rear by moving their burnous — &
kind of cloak — indicating by the various motions, when they see the
animal, which direction he is taking, or whether motionless; but
when the brute conies toward them they cry out, in Arabic, ''Aou
likoum'' (Look out)! At this signal the hunters form in line of
battle, if possible before some large rocks, so as to avoid beiiif
attacked from behind. Woe to the luckless wight who fails to hear
the warning cry, and remains at a distance from his comrades. The
moment the lion perceives him, whether he is fleeing or standing his
ground boldly, the vicious brute charges with a bound, and, unless
killed dead by a single shot, he is sure to tear the man as a cat does
a bird. ,
DARING OF THE LION.
When the hunters have had the opportunity to unite their forces,
with their backs to a rock, the lion will march majestically l)efore
them, with a menacing air, hoping by this means to throw their ranks
into confusion, for he is a strategic warrior as well as brave. If he
succeeds in thus inspiring the men with terror, so that they scatter
in disorder like frightened sheep, as they sometimes do, he charo'es
upon them right and left, and sometimes kills a dozen or more. But
if the men are brave and remain steadfast in solid rank, the lion
passes slowly and with a triumphant air directly before the leveled
guns, uttering a low growl indicative of angry menace, and lashing
his tail from side to side. This is the decisive moment ! The word
of command is given, by a chosen officer, to fire. Each one dis-
charges his gun with such aim as can be taken, and then, dropping
the discharged weapon, immediately draws his pistol and yatagan-
sword.
It appears strange that thirty balls fired into the body of a lion at
as many paces, do not instantly kill him, but it is a fact that this
result does not occur more than twice out of five tim? s. The ani-
mal is so tenacious of life, that he does not die at once under any
number of balls, unless they should pierce his heart or brain. If,
however, he falls under this leaden hail, the hunters spring upon him
and a desperate fight ensueSj until the last spark of life is Hed from
the royal beast. But the nearer the lion draws to death, the more
TBE WOEtD ASHORE. jq,
dangerous he becomes. If, during an action of thi, kind l.nt l„f
lie IS wounded, he overlakfi^ ., m.,, i,„ , ^"" Knia, hut before
obstacle in th; way 1 ,d divert! '. '"^^^^ overthrows him as an
character; but if 2' ll™ 1, d be l^tT"" " ""''''''' "' "" '""""^
kill or tear to pieces wCintcve'.. ^ Tu" """' ^""'^' >>' ""'
Ithe body in hi^ mo^th „ Uhe ov Ir Z^^:""'f""'l "'''^'"^
icatches and drops his first prey ' *'""" '"' ^ "■™
the u„fortunate.whi; hisbnrZ^ If '''"" T'"^ *'" ''''»'' »'
-the fallen hunte,', who underT°; «'""' .''■™' "'•''' ««<> »" 'hose of
,uite unable to iltler il s . Ites ::'"''r "V"""'- -?-«-. is
lick the face of the miser-.l I. m -m' , *'"'*' '" ^""^ ""^ ""'
- then wrinkihf: ^:^"zn:X':£:vTt:::'^"
occasionaiiy by the Ca"! .'r " " """""'"^ "^ "'^ "«-' ■""■
THE OOOLNE88 THAT ,8 REQUIRED TO KILL A LION
Gerard devotes a chapter in his interesting work on iZ b„„,- .
advising amateur hunters how to att.,nt .t.^;" "" I on-hunting to
chances of success. Amonrcler thHninM *T ""J' "'" «™"'^'
the following : ° thuUingly exciting admonitions are
" When you hear the roarino's Cof th» lm„^ „„
raying his enormous head from sWe to sidi T^ , '«'""'"'■'>.
J»u on his path he will not fa" to st™ If" !„ "• " '""""'°'
will softly approach st„nnl„„ f T'^' ''" "■'"""" ^"='"«<J he
ground like a bull Si^r^- ^ T """ *" "■"" '" "'^'^ '° 1>" the
'«ly deaf, somJ ime! h? ;n.'!;r'';"r i'°"? """"S" '" "''^^^y-
-ight of him for a moml 7'" ^'^^"''""^ '«''«■ »» "<>« 'o^e
l.r„». .u. ., ' * """lent, and keep your eve fixed on h:. if i.„
^'^^Z:TZ^'''Z claws- on a t,;e:-be r;L;
will he fatal. HneervoTr'"'^^."'''''''' ''"'''■''''''-' haste
™*' y"" »'■■»'• «»d none of your movements
i I:
■ ,4
iFl
Riii
I'^i
'isH
l||a
! 1
m
Ml
1
1
002
THE WORLD ASBOBE.
803
«oape h,m, thoogh he will not ultack ^ou u„lil tbo first sl,ot i» fi.ed
When you a,n. he w,ll crouch lilce a cat. In this position he vili
show nothing but the top of his head, and, on n,/wo,d. however
near you may be, I would udvise you not to lire. With yo^r Z t^
your shoulder and your eyes on those of the lion's, walk a fcf "tens
from the path either to the right or left. accordi,^g to the s de he
™on throws the best light over your enemy. If y,fn turn too nu h
he w,ll hmk you are going to fire on his body, and will wheel Zd
on h,s stomach, always keeping his face toward you. Take but two
or three steps, and as soon as the side of his hMd seems to be oppo-
site you, a,m well between the ear and eye and pull the trigger. Of
two things ether one or the other happens ; either the lion is instantVy
killed, or before be.ngablo to judge of the effect of your shot, you
are stretched on your back under the wounded animal, whose heaS
and fore-paws are on you, crushing you in the earth. But you Ire
not dead for aJl that. ^
"If your ball has been well directed and not met .any obstacle to
turn .t as,de you w.ll escape with a dozen or more scratches from his
claws wh,ch you can cure, providing his teeth have not touched you
or If h,s agon.es do not last longer than a few seconds, you may rtil
get out of he scrape with your head on your shoulder In „„y d e
member tha you have a dagger, and if you have not lost it^n th
1 str,ke qu-ckly firmly and in the right place. If the lion is killed
on the spot, thank your God, and recommence the battle with the
next one you meet.
" One word of advice. Whenever you find yourself opposite a full-
tTmncrb : ""' "' ""' '""^ "' ""'•'•^■■'S ™' y-- ---"vres. If
00 much haste may cost you your life, too great slowness in the
attack njay be equally fatal. The lion, becoming impatient, has
only to bound on you while you are aiming, and ;ou will bedis-
armed and torn to pieces without having fir^d a single shot."
A "-ION MESMERIZES A LOVER
The Arabs veyily believe that the lion can mesmerize a man and in
this condition compel him to follow it like a slave to its lair, and in-
StaVflr ''"n"'"-^ ^''^ ^^^^""^^- 1^--- -told o^e of
which 18 as follows : Once upon a time, as all good stories are pre-
faced, a young man, of the Amemera tribe, loved most nassioZl v
17'- Tu^ ^""^ ""^"'^ ^*^^''^^"° ^^« ^^"^"3^ ardent, but who was
restrained by a cruel father from wedding the amorous youthle!
'4Sm:-(!*ms»*
504
SEA AND LAND.
cause, alas, he was poor. Though her liberty was curtailed, she con-
trived to communicate with her lover and to arrange a plan which re-
quired only the assistance of the young man to make successful and
effect her liberty.
Ventursome and brave, the youth sought the goal of his betrothed
and had the happiness of bearing her away; but as the twain fled
over the hillq by night, and neared the friendly camp of his own peo-
pie, they were suddenly confronted by a lion which rose up directly
in their path and roared so fiercely that they were both beside tiiein
selves with fear. The girl, however, shrieked so loud that the men in
camp were aroused and rushed out to discover the cause. As they
approached they were astounded by the sight which met their gaze.
The burning youth was following the lion towards a dense growth
despite the appeals and frantic efforts of the girl to draw him back.
His reason apparently gone, he was saying to her: « Come, dearest,
our seignor calls us,'^ and to the lion, "Don't listen to her, my
seignor, she does not speak the truth ; I have no arms, and will follow
you wherever you will."
The ten men who had been attracted by the girl's screams attacked
the lion with their guns, but a the first fire the animal, which was
but slightly wounded, charged upon the mesmerized young man, and
in a trice crushed his head between its powerful jaws ; having niur-
dered the man, the furious beast caught the trembling girl and bore
her off to the woods like a cat carries its kittens, where no trace of
her vms afterward seen.
A LION'S FEAST.
It is a singular fact that when once a lion tastes human flesh he
always thereafter i)refers it to any other food, and will take the most
desperate chances to procure this favorite meat, in which respect the
Hon resembles the tiger of India, as we shall hereafter see.
A story is told by Madame Lakdar, which proves the propensity of
the African lion as here charged. On the road from Constantine to
Batua, in Algeria, there was in former days a large Mosque called
Jema-el-Bechiva, the ruins of which now only remain. The priests
of this holy place had procured a young lion, which they raised with
great attenti >n, until its full growth was attained, little reckoning
how it, would repay their kindness. One day the lion was missing,
^ — — .,,.., ,..j,v/ -rt.cr r.-,^-st^i\Avi.-a\j. rjuij tuo cAuiiatiwu VI. u iiuiui'u »v;;;v;u
God has given to all wild beasts, so that no effort was made toward
THE WORLD ASHORE.
505
if
its recapture. Two days later, however o„„ „f .h • .
ing, nor did he present himself a^Z on Z . ""7™';" ™' ■»!«'-
other hand, instead of thrfirst !h . '"""'^'"S ^V : on the
wa, found Absent This ^t 'ssi t" f ''""T""^' '""'"'«' P"est
as the faet that each day for a pe i fd ofTr' ^"' ""' '" "''"'"'""i
e|.Bech.vawas lost, and^o my,tXslv th ?^ tf.' ".P"''' °"™"-
oause could be sur.iised. ThCc ^^,1 LT, ? '""' -'^ *" *''"
these, fearful lest the devil hadfl.7 . r?'"'™'"'"'"?' """
hood, departed, not befuj v^^^ , twit t : .th'" T ""'t""'-
de„,„n who had vanquishe'd so ma^y of the r bT^hers" str"*'"'
became deserted. oiotners, so the mosque
Finding that his daily allowance of a nvJ^of u ._ ,
n,ore succulent by reason of tl" go d wh stirh :,'• H .^ "" ""^
soned, had suddenly been discontinued,;^:: ft; t;ls7h?:""
voarer, began lo make his levies upon the l.itv IniT.l , "'
into his capacious n.aw with a^to'Ih ,^ f^^^e, cy nt"7 !" 'f'
... .h,ch he had taken up his watches becan.e^; dcsertea
AN EXCITING INCIDENT.
oae:;ts':;rf:j;f7SnTan":afrt^^^ r^-'- ^"--"^
following words • » * ^i^^°«f "*« ^a^ almost sla.n by a lion, in the
-™ac™ssthe;oad,asthought;:rr::^^^^^^^
at about thirty rmoca fvnm u;^ i . » • a lexi xtofetain
™.:tfrcitUtror:;Xh:rt sr r^-- ™"^^''''
me or not. vHether he should spring upon
^-^ZT^^^T:"'"' "1". <"'°S"- -tinuing these
the wlile over Lrir.„i,/° T't "."''' "«'""■' "■» ■'"™''' «"
shoulder. ZL'^l'jf. '!'"'■" ''\''"'' "■>"' '» *h«^l I fired at his
•boulder presented h^ TJu'^^r '':•'''"'« *°''"''^- * '•■'''k™
t» regain L flet I X' ht tt^h: btt ' "^ "''' ''™«^"»«
THE WORLD ASHORE.
507
'*Rostain,8eein£r theanimil hnri * n
Iwa, standing. Ct at e ™:":l'rtLf;''''' '"'""■^r"-
raised himself on his left fore l„„ , "■"' ""o """e "P. the lion
its fierceness. Uy In, Ztfj:'' Tt" ' '^ '""* ^'"^'^'^ ■»» ^y
Eostain-s hand, and ^Xilt f'T^fj ^t' 'm"' *'" """^ S"" f'""
hind the shoulder, hopingV^h t rh^ """T^'^'i^ '"fl/"'' i'^"
fore, but was imn>ediately „„ his feet ao-dn ' w ' "' '"^
out any means of defensef save mv ponied [ f n' "'*''' ""^ "'"-
an anijua, that had not been -illed'hrth^^'hllfr '^ "'"""" ''=°"™'
..ight/i i;oJd'a:otft r:::'U:r^':tt,!;::""r'' ■"^''""'
jujuhe-tree. or thicket, growing a litt^rHi.? Tu- J '" " '"S^^
».y comrade run, and wo we 0%^ „le enl"" f "''•'"' '" ' ''■"^<'
tion. The iuiube in question tro^tZ^:'". '""" ''' <""""^-
very close fiPt nnr^ tK-. K , '^""'^ ^^" reet 111 diameter, and
didVot atlV 1„ f^roHtr" t""'-"' "■"> ">or.s that the' lion
with following uVa"ouTt|lT7' u'',''""'^''' ^ut contented himself
wounded an ll after 1 .k„;'' "''.''° '^^ ''""''^'' ^ "<= '»"• The
like a drunken man laid hit^ Sf", """"'' '"'^^'"■'"S "" ">« -hile
..towards .3"r:;it,^rsuX"irer''=" "^ -"^ "'^ '--
at the same time charging the gun ofref ull thl't"';: "' ""'f''' ""^
dangerof a miss-fire f„ s°o des^e'tTrn :;;': Lt "w '" H '^ "°
cap was placed on the cones T f.lf .. r '""f«l"'^- **hen the last
We then moved back a Irt d s 0^™ t,,f ,• ''■'' rT"'"' '"'*'•
surprise, and walked slowly towardsth; T u"^ !' '" "™'"^ ""?
down, hut he had left 7 and I '^ '* "''*''*' ""^ "'"' """l '"i"
Hadtheani^na, no lit '::;:;; ""'''"^ •" l" -»ofhim.
i'pmdent not to wait 'o%esolveThr;u;fZ irheT^
and move out of sight in spite of our ^hree ball, ft „ . ?'' u""
mease we 8uddenlvo».,«„„ u . , ""^ """s, it was cortarn that
pay dear for our f™, g! ""'"'. '",'" "" '^' "'''"""'y • ■- would make us
a'terdawu ofTlIetllo ' .rmZt'X'luhr'" '"if """"'' """'
.-I was renewed by th^ addiZr/oftraVZt IroXTrty""
«Okn by a lion.
Presently the trail led into a thicket of wild olive trees, that ap-
u,t.hle cover for him to have taken refuge in.and th^
peared
:if-4
■fit
III
508
SEA AND LAND.
Arabs stayed behind until I satisfied myself, by walking around the
jungle, that the trail led no further, and that, dead or alive, the lion
must be there. I then posted the Arabs in different groups around
the thicket, and took ray position where I judged he would most
likely come out, relying upon his habit of charging a single individual
rather than a number together. At a given signal the Arabs gave a
loud hurrah, and, waving their burnous (cloaks), threw stones into the
thicket, and urged on their dogs, that immediately disappeared in the
underbrush.
•'In a moment after I saw the lion coming cautiously out of the
thicket, and taking the very path where Rostain was posted. I called
to him, but before I could make* him hear the animal was within ten
steps of him, and losing his reason at the fierce bearing of his foe, he
dropped hU gun and fled, only instead of running up the hill, as the
Arabs had done, he conceived the fatal idea of turning down the
declivity to hide in the scattered woods at its base. The moment the
lion caught sight of the fugitive he gave chase, with his mane ruffled
and his tail in the air, while with every jump he roared with the full
blast of his lungs. At each leap he staggered, but regaining his feet
in an instant, he pursued his course with frightful earnestness.
*♦ At the first glance at this chase I knew that it was all over with
Rostain, though I ran with all my speed to his aid. As the animal
crossed an opening in the woods, at forty paces from me, I fired a
shot that struck him in the side and brought him to a halt. Had
Rostain availed himself of this pause he would have been saved, but
he must needs stop to see the effect of my shot. Seeing the lion
recover himself and charging anew, he again endeavored to flee. His
foot caught a root and he fell ; before he could regain his feet the
lion was upon him, and seizing him in its jaws the man and beast
rolled down the hill together. In spite of the close woods that grew
at the foot of the hill, I was at Rostain's side in a moment after he
had been seized. He was lying motionless in a pool of blood, while
the lion had disappeared, leaving him for dead. Nevertheless, he still
breathed, and a hurried examination of the breast and shoulders
showed that he was not hurt there. The four incisors of the angry
lion bad pierced his thigh like so many bullets, and sixteen deep long
clashes from the animal's claws furrowed hia back,"
Continuing the narrative at some length, which I will not quote,
Gerard states that Rostain was sent back to camp on a litter while the
THE WORLD iSBOBE.
SOS
pursuit was oonhnued. Soon after the li„„ was oeat up again by the
Arabs ,nto wh..„ ,he animal fiercely charged and stretchedCo othl™
upon the grouuc: by strokes of hi, ciaws. so that three men were now
despcate y hurt, while the lion got a.. - finally altogether To die3
h,s wounds without further molestation. Rostai recovered, but ™ly
after a loss of one leg and eight months of suffering in a hospital
he other wounded men also wore restored, but wor^ the mark oJ
their frightful wounds throughout their lives.
aoventuhe with a fieboe lioness.
Gordon Cummmgs one of the most noted hunters that ever pene-
tratcd the jungle, of Africa, met with a thrilling adventure .!otT„„
.ter_his« introduction to the dark continenrwrhrdl'S
"Suddenly I observed a number of vultures seated on the plain
about a quarter of a mile ahead of us, and close beside them lod ^
huge lioness, consuming a blesbok which she had killed ,21'
«s,sted in her repast by a dozen jackals, which weio feas ingaC
witnherin the most friendly and confidential manner. Direotta!
my followers- a ention to the spot, I remarked, < I see the «Z' tS
-vhich hey replied, .Whar? AVhar? Yah! Almagtigl datTshel"
and instantly reining in their steeds and wheeling ab^ouf, they pressed
eir heels to their horses' side,, and were preparing to tTke the'r
flight. I asked them what they were eoiiiff to H„ i u-l !t
answered, -We have not yet p Jed Z f: ^'ou'irHfiel^^-This wt^
^«e, but while this short conversation was passingthe lioness observed
u. _ Raising her full, round face, she overhauled ns for a few sec
ends, and then set off at a smart canter towards a range of moulin;
or, :;»,Ve: t "T'zt '• ''^ "■•'"•' '"-"p »* ^^^^^^ « "» ~
an Thlfi 1 "' *''™ ™«- "■•'^fore, no time to think of
be lost C '"°™ ™' *" 'r^ *""■ '° '"'y- ""-^ "•" « ^^"-i ™»
to be lost Spurring my good and lively steed, and shoutin.- to mv
Le Th?" . "' ?* "^ '""^' ^ ^^'"'^ "P"" !'«'• at every
Iti-therlr/murdir'"' """'"''' """ ' '""<'' •"> "^-""^
.iZb.:":r: !r^f ..l"/." •""'%^""' <" -■ « went over a con-
.. .^, gi^uuu wufore 1 came up with her. She was «
added to her imposing appearance. Finding that I gained on he"
510
SEA AND L4ND.
she reduced her pace from a canter to a trot, carrying her tail ftuck
out behind, and slewed a little to one side. I shouted loudly to her
to halt, as I wished to speak with her, upon which she suddenly pulled
up, and sat on her haunches, like a dog, with her back toward me,
not even deigning to look around. She then appeared to say to her-
self, ♦ Does this fellow know who he is after?' Having thus sat for
half a minute, as if involved in thought, she sprang to her feet and,
facing about, stood looking at me for a few seconds, moving her tail
slowly from side to side, showing her teeth and growling fiercely.
She next made a short run forward, making a loud, rumbling noise
like thunder. This she did to intimidate me ; but finding that I did
not flinch an inch nor seem to heed her hostile demonstrations, she
quietly stretched out her massive arms, and lay down on the grass.
My Hottentots now coming up, we all three dismounted and, drawing
our rifles from the holsters, we looked to see if the powder was ia
the nipples, and put bn our caps. While this was doing the lioness
sat up, and showed evident symptoms of uneoainess. She looked
first at us, and then behind her, as if to see if the coast was clear,
after which she made a short run towards us, uttering her deep-drawu,
murderous growls.
*' Having secured the three horses by their reins, we led them
on as if we intended to pass her, in the hope of obtaining a broad-
side. But this she carefully avoided to expose, presenting only her
full front. I had given Stofolus my Moore rifle, with orders to shoot
her if she should spring upon me, but on no accou t to fire before me.
Kleinboy was to stand ready to hand me my Purdy rifle in case the
two-grooved Dixon should not prove sufficient. My men had as yet
been steady, bat they were in a precious stew, their faces having as-
sumed a ghastly paleness, and I had a painful feeling that I could
place no reliance on them.
*♦ Now, then, for it, neck or nothing 1 She is within sixty yards of
us, and she keeps advancing. We turned the horses tails to her.
I knelt on one side, and taking a steady aim at her breast, let
fly. The ball cracked loudly on her tawny hide, and crippled her in
the shoulder, upon which she charged with an appalling roar, and in
the twinkling of an eye she was in the midst of us. At this moment
Stofulus's rifle exploded in his hand, and Kleinboy, whom I had or-
dered to stand ready by me, danced about like a duck in a gale of
win^T The lioness sprang upon Colesburg and fearfullj^ lacerated hjs
THB WOBLD ASUOKJi.
011
.„„ twelve i„„J.e ■ ,..,. aflX;: ^^Zir Vr
vcy cool and «tc„Jy, .„J did not fed in ti.e le„»t di,ee nervous
havmg, fortunately, groat conlidenoo in n.y xhootin,. hi I .'
confess, when the whole affair was over I felt "f,^ "
.wfal situation, and attended with extren e ,,e' as I hadTo f ""'J
irith uie on whom 1 could rely. '"*'"'
" When the lioness sprang on Colesburg, I stood out from th.
horses, ready with ,„y second barrel for thf first chle heX"W
give me for a clear shot. This she did uuieklv fn,. . f
i.»ed with the revenge she had now'ta^: 'ii; : [.^''-^fC;'-
a„dslewn,g her tad to one side, trotted sulkily pu.t within a few
,«>ces of n,e ak,ng one step to the left. I pifohed my rifle to Z
shoulder, and in another second the lioness was stretched on tlplZ
a lifeless corpse. piam
"Having skinned the lioness and cut off her head, we placed her
troph,es on Beauty -a horse -and held for ca„,p. ieftjewe h.d
proceeded a hundred yards from the carcass, upward of slxlv vul
ea,efully s^tehed them toge:^ r:;reX:rwtr™r Lt
:ver:i-iyrr:r::'"""^'"^""''' -----'"^ ^-^ ^d h\^
A 8HOOKINQ INCIDENT
The same distinguished sportsman and traveler tells tho nnvf.Vnl
of a g ustl, tragedy which befell one of his most tr t d s^ ^
i-lie following language: ^« o«ivani8, in
"The Hottentots, without any reason, made their fire about fiftv
n; f'"": "'- 'r -'-^ - ■■■-Xz.?h:ri: nTilz
« the forest across the river, and once or twice I strode fway i, .to
™ rmtirr th:r"''"T '■>»«-""«-"' standa:dZ,: „"
aera. 1 little, at that moment, dreamed of tho imminent naril t„
:t:?,i"!.^™p''^'",«. '"y "f'. "or thought that a uoZZLri^.
iZ:Zir^C°ZT T' ""^ ""'^ "»"''''"« l"" oPPortu'nityto
'i'
512
SEA AND LAND.
few
we
was
one
come and take their coffee and supper, which was ready for them at
my fire ; and after supper thioo of them returned before their com.
rades to their own firesides and liiy down; these were John Stofoliis,
Hendric and Ruytcr. In a few minutes an ox came out by the gjue
of the kraal and walked round the back of it. Hendric and Ruytcr
lay on one side of the fire under one blanket, and Stofolus lay on the
other. At this moment I waa sitting taking some barley broth ; our
fire was very small, and the night was pitch dark and windy.
** Suddenly the appalling and murderous voice of an angry, blood-
thirsty lion burst on my ear within a few yards of us, followed by tiie
shrieking of the Hottentots.
Again and again the murderous
roar of attack was ropoatcd.
We heard John and Ruytcr
shriek, 'The lion I the lion!'
; Still, for a
moments,
j thought he
'but chasing
i of the dogs around
I the kraal; but the
jnext instant
I Stofolus rushed
jinto the midst of
|us,almostspeech-
(less with fear and
terror, his eyes
bursting from the
sockets, and shrieked out: ' The lion 1 the lion I He has got Hendric;
he dragged him away from the fire beside me. I st' uck him with th
burning brands upon the head, but he would no: let go his hohl
Hendric is dead I Oh, God ! Hendric is dead! Let us take fire
and seek him.' The rest of my people rushed about, yelling as if
they were mad. 1 was at once angry with them for their folly, and
told them that if they did not stand still and be quiet the lion would
have another of us, and that very likely there was a troop of them.
I ordered the dogs, which were nearly all fast, to be made loose, and
the fire to be increased as far as could be. I then shouted Hendric's
name, but all was still. I told my men that Hendric was dead, and
THE LION CARRYING OFF POOR HENDRIC.
TflE WORLD ASirORR.
513
of iroinjr ttt tho lion rusL.l « ','''*' '''"^" '"ost required, instead
at l,i,n, di«.|„s,,,d t„ u, W, n,,,U , , ,lv 7 f "'"J-"."'!. R"ing
un.il .In, d.„.„..„, th. ,io„ r:: ' :, 'Tp i:!:^:^,;; ?,"" , ".'".".'"^
ll.cm in upon ll,„ k™,;. TIr. l,„nil K. ? " " '"' "'"' '•''""«
fortv j.,rd of us, eon, ,„i,,r,l " , """"'^ '"^ "" "''-''>' "i'^"
n,ai,,cdtilHl,„d,,vd..,w„.,d,o,u,,|e,s„, on, ^o'i'.'i :" """ ''"" ■■"-
».'ho lay, grapple, hi, Mh i.^'n i:,?''"'" T'T' ""''• ™"--?
h«i„. got hold of wi,,;,;" i":- : e '■;:':: tii:"" '"■• '■'v'-''-
ro.,nd , he bush into tho dense »hado ^° "" """^ ''"<''''""■''
moM,:,'':: 'i"" 'oh'Sf " ""■';","'""^' ■"»° "' '"'""-^ "-'J. 'Help
'7 ..1 :m onlti', ::;:,";,;:„":;:,•;: .^i?:L:;,tr Td"'"-'
»d.hoa.,.ho bone. Of h,» ..oek e,,. eking be,;::!',::-';:! ^trj
n . , ; '-''- '"'■"♦ "'"'C" ^vus soon brouofht to bay bv fliP rlnt^a
s
33 1
lashin": tail.
as 1
f defying
514
SEA AND LAND.
the whole world ; he thus presented an excellent target to Cummings,
who, with two well-directed balls, brought him to the earth a fallen
gladiator. Cutting off the lion's head, Cummings returned with it to
the krual, having been absent scarcely more than fifteen minutes.
A SOLDIER CARRIED OFF BY A LION.
Schweinfurth, in his work entitled " The Heart o^ Africa," men-
lions a sad accident which occurred in the immediate vicinity of his
camp, on the river Tudyee. He says: "As we were prepariiig to
continue our march, some people came to meer. us with dismal intolli-
gence from the neighboring village of Geegyee. They said that on the
previous night a Nubian soldier, who had lain himself down at the
door of his hut, about five paces from a thorn hedge, had been seized
by a lion and, before he could raise an alarm, had been di'agged off,
no one knew whither." This incident is given by Schweinfurth
merely as he would report an every-day occurrence in a diary, not
deeming it sufficiently interesting to merit a circumstantial account,
But further on he says:
" I learned that this district had for some years bee:i infested with
lions, and that lately the casualties had been so frequent that tlie
greater part of the inhabitants of Geegyee had migrated in conse-
quence. The entire village would have been transplanted long ago, hut
the lions had been always found to follow any change of position."
A MIRAOULOU8 ESCAPE FROM A LION.
Among the many daring lion-hunters of South Africa C. J. An-
dersson is prominent ; a man who to reckless bravery combined the
quality of a keen sportsman, besides being a graceful writer, who has
left behind him the most interesting descriptions of his thrilling ex-
periences and adventures among wild tribes and fierce aniinals.
Among the many stirring incidents of his eventful life Mr. Aiulerssoii
records the following, which he considers the narrowest escape from
death that ever befell him :
While encamped at the forks of two small streams, some natives
capie to him and begged that his services be given them in destroying
a large lion that was terrorizing the country and destroying great
numbers of goats and oxen. Having already had some experience
in lion-hunting, Andersson was glad of the opportunity thus offered
to measure arms with the king of beasts, and he therefore lost no
time in beginning the pursuit. The natives, armed with spears and
jissegais, and a few guns, gwi^ed him to a thick brake^ wheve fresh
THE WORLD ASHOBB.
.«t up the ga^e, s„ that Ande..s:::raa eAl''^,': ^'^^ """
where any moment he miaht be D„„„e„i '™''=" *"«»""»« g>o«tl,,
he hud proceeded aome dhtance wi2 Heeil li^ " "'"'""' ''«'"'•
denly, a shout sent up on the or^. T,Ti "^"""'^ "'""• »"''-
shown himself to the native a w d I'l ^"" """ "'" "°» ''"^
did no further damage than To .^il' 1 7 f''^ ""> ''™"'. but
Thi,perfor„,anee was twice rlttJd ,"u ."' "^'"'' '" '"^ ■■'^"•«"-
.m, came out of the b, L aXl! d T u '■''""^' ^° """ Anders-
take his place as he,t .n 1, ^fm" h""" °' "'" """^^ '"
wlion it should again show it,el7 !„ '""" '" ^'«"" "■« "«"
I will give the ooncludtJr t:^; '•' """rr '5" '""' '"» """'-
"As the day, howeve, IZuZfl T"^ '" '''^ """ '""g-^go:
™i„ed to make one othe 'effortrd f ";""' '" " *""'"• ' <>«"«■-
I- unsuceessfni. to give^rc ^i I i-^ ^'■"""' "-
l-y only a single native, I a^ain entered h„ h."t ° ^' "'"'""•J'"-''''!
I exa,ni„ed for some time ^itho.:' ^eing "a^t,," Zt"' ""•'""
at that part of the cover we had fi,.«f » '/^^»"g , but on arriving
comparatively free from bles u^s dd!;.?'"'' "^' "''^" '" « ^P^^
a few pace, of „,e It was .. f I ? ^ '^''""^ *^^ ^«"«t within
.tIeterrememb:Vt"Ze^rrri:^^^^^^^^^^^
::i;:r dT ;:v'r .""L^r ?i r ^~ -- •
'"•II he wheeled short abou , l.d "^i f r'l'J':; «" --"''" "■■>
»«idme. When within uf..w„. J u ''^'"®<' "»'• bounded to-
i.. - Wad ^'^:^:<f:::;^:^^;^-^- -"- ^-v-
W» o..-t. It was an'al „:: entTf' ""' '"" ""P""'^' ""'""'
»■»» critical in the extreme S ''"""'' '""' '"^ ''"'"•"'">
»obn,ef„r„m,m,e d^ed ;Zrr"r- "V"'"" "«'" "-
fet coolness and absnl ,t. t.f , ' . " "* ''"' ""^ """^' P""-
'Pii!i<i
616
SEA AND LAND.
111
9'iA
aim at any other part would have been madness, I refrained from
tiring. Whilst intently watching his every movement, he suddenly
bounded toward me; but — whether it was owing to his not perceiv-
ing me, partially concealed as I was in the long grass, or to my in-
stinctively throwing my body on one side, or to his miscalculating the
distance — in making his last spring, he went clear over me and
alighted on the ground three or four paces beyond. Instantly, uud
THE WORLD ASHORE.
M7
Without nsing I wheeled round on my k„ee and discharged my sec-
ond barrel and as his broad side was then toward me, lodged a ball
n, his shoulder which it completely smashed. On receiving my sec
ond fire he made another and more determined rush at me, but owing
to his disabled condition I avoided him. It was, however, only by I
hair s breadth, for he passed me within arm's lencrth "
The probabilities are that the lion was crazed by the first shot so'
that It was unable to distinguish its enemy, for it died almost imme-
diately after making the leap.
HOW A BRAVE ARAB WAS TORN BY A LION
During the several years that Gerard was hunting lions in Northern
Africa he met w.th many narrow escapes himself, and was witness to
several shocking tragedies committed by wounded animals
Though previous to his exploits in their country the Arabs were
slow to engage in a combat with the lion, Gerard's success as a hunter
so inspired them with confidence that, when he had decided upon a
campaign against the marauding brutes, he found even too many
Arabs ready to join him. -^
On one occa.v , cue Valley of Ourten was the scene of crreat
slaughter amen ^ cattle, perpetrated by a lion that was reputed to
be uncommonly large, fierce and bold. This fact coming to Ihe ears
of Gerard, he immediately prepared to give battle to the forest mon-
arch. Of the many volunteers who offered their services, he accepted
a half dozen, and with these he posted off to the grounds where the
hoii made his lair. Two days' search brought them to a brook called'
lafrent, where signs were discovered, and soon after Amar-ben-
.^.gha, being somewhat in advance, saw the terrible animal cross the
stream and enter a heavy copse, where he had made his lair
It having now grown dark the hunt was abandoned until the mor-
row, when at early break of dawn it was resumed. By carefully
hthe hon that he broke away and appeared on the edge again
ashmg hi. tail m mad fury. Gerard had provided himself with
a young kid for bait, and this he now tied to a tree and retired a short
d s ance, knowing that its piteous bleatings would soon attract the
hmigry lion Scarcely had this been done when the lion came stalk-
.., urwara xi,e haxt with such ferocious looks th.t all the Arabs beat
a hasty retreat leaving Gerard alone to face the dreadful brute,
which approached with a slow and majestic gait, never taking itl
^^iMMdi*'^''
518
8BA AND LAND.
piercing eyes from the sight of the hunter, until withhi fifty-yards
when It disappeared in the wood. Gerard well knew that the lion hid
withdrawn from sight only to creep nea.er its prey, as is the habit of
this dangerous animal. Nearly fifteen minutes had elapsed, and the
silence was becoming oppressive, for not a sound disturbed the inter
val, before the lion showed himself again, but when he did appear it
was withni a few paces of the kid, which now suddenly ceased its
bleating and began ^. tremble with a full knowledge, apparently, of
Its .mpend.ng fate. The monstrous beast leisurely mounted the side
of the gulch and halted at the edge of a clearing, not more than ten
A DISASTROUS FIGHT.
Steps from Gerard, and there he faced the hunter, his broad head pre-
senting an exceiicnt target.
Though Gerard more than once drew aim, he did not fire, lest a
front shot might produce no other effect than an invitation to chai-e.
Presently the lion lay down, and pillowing his huge head on his paws
continued to gaze intently upon the hunter, as if studying him, or
contemplating the two feasts of kid and man, unable to decide which
he should eat first. Several minutes thus elapsed whfen. at len.^h.
rne iiou arose and, as he presented nis side for a moment, Gerard
fired and sent two balls through his shoulders; with a terrific roar
THE WORLD ASHORE.
919
tie great beast rolled down into the ravine, and, ,I,„„„h dreadfullv
wounded, managed to coneeal l.im.elf in some hea;y growth^
H.!!L r r'7 ™" "P "-^ ^'"'S -»«<"'■" that the li. , „, dead
tento al, of Gerard's protests, thoy followed down brZttt
bushes sta:ned with blood, eager to offer indignities to tTe It
monarch, as s their cu<iton, l= .1 "'"'^iiues to the dead
=Sr="-= SrESrS
all but « e of he men ran towards Gerard, but Anuir-ben-Sicrhra
brave fellow who was son.ewhat se„arated from the re Istoo^ hi!
ground and fired, as did all the others at tho hlZ \ ?
shots, however, taki«<. effect In .Lh ' T^* °"' °^ ^'^"
u J J. 1. ® «"«cr. Jn another moment tho bravo Ai-.K
stir-" '■■"'- "" "- - •» -';tt«iet:r
MR. BALDWIN'S WONDERFUL LUCK
Mr. Baldwin, ^l~:Jf:Z:VlTJ:%^T:! '"'"' ^"'T' '^
can wilds for the sport that the ii'fe afforZ T ^ ^T '" '^'"-
wouldapp 1 hatir ^^"T"?""'' ""'"'^■'"f 'te animal, it
ra appear that as he approaches tho hotter climate his disno.it;
b«o„,es more surley, and consequently the dan.e" ha rl ^0™"
-cu ill uuniing iiim arc greater. " ^-^^^^nt-
ao„s, by which the per.l m very much lessened, as the do»s
520
SEA AND LAND.
though never any considerable antagonist of the lion, yet serve (o
distract his attention from the hunter, while the horse is an admirable
O
>
<
a
Q
CO
means of escape ; but even with these excellent aids the danger Is not
entirely avoided, as the following incident will show:
the danger is not
THE WORLD ASHORE. ggl
In the month of September, about the year 1862 though fh« h .
.8 not given in his account of the adventm-e MrB-.M--^^^ ^^^^^
ing in the Buchuana country whioh nH f /• * '" '''''^ *'""^-
•lu 1 «"-"uniiy wnicn, at that tmie, was fairlv inf«c««^
with lavge game, suoh «« !;««» i u . , Jairiy mtested
were brought witli him from En<rh.nd ^ ^^ ""*'
ti,e'd:i''':t™:k";';':'tA'i;''r '" '"•'' -"-'f™-"- native viih,go,
from the enraged ion's , aw Thi^ ™, •'"^':""^"""''='' ''^ " »"'"'<'
pr„do„ce. and'the, Jerorw J e^edlo ^e' '':he'r'"'" ''" °"'^"
until their master could come to their „1<1 ^ '"'"' ^""•'•"'■<'«<J
»h.t :: .';,:,:• ;:''hir:::.:r:h ^'irfT- """"'"""^ ^- »
reach the mo.mn'h's hCt , .^ 1 ' "''"'""" '''•*'^' """P'"? ^
rceeived onlya^sho .;,,:'.'''' """ ""' '""'■'"' «'"'l ">«"<»'
'ij u, n.)aj snot,*that in no wise d sabled him tk„ i-
qu.ckly perceived from whence came this new attack -d h J-""
tlirouij- 1 tiie doers whir-h ,^«,.^ ^ i attack, and breakmg
B win ran fo his ht ; fa.r «,-""'"f"'" " ""^''"""^ ^»°g»'"'««-
fin»llv, he n,ined the Ldl .h . '"""''"'^ Counting. When,
.1-l.ed off, 1 e entrd h, ; '""' ""^ ^^ '"'»■■ "■"*• »« «■» horse
-king on; of ts" :i '„ 'L^TI, 'h^^'t """" '"' "™P'
tearin.' Baldwin's bttckwi.. J , i , ^' ''°'' "' *■"> ™""« «">«
to »e t. F, ^atetf th .t, Jl'.""''"'"''"''^' pMl.g U,n from
„,.h, i, ,, " ' ''°''' ''™'"'' 'hough not without cutting dr»,...f„l
-«. .0 the vinage^Lrr:::!';::! r „:•:": r mS^t
" ■" ?■{
'■i~t\
I' h
622
THE WORLD ASHORE.
iff
023
.be dog, H,..,u,,,t HI,,, to ,„„ ,„. theiru'to " .ptZL t:
wh,ch wa, a ledge „f ,,,ek,, I,,.ai„d „,» ,.„eky covcMt B'aldw", 1
.favorable po. ,o„, fro,,, whence he ,uoe„eded in kiUi,"" tlTe ion at
the uext fire, patt,„g a bullet squarely th,ough hi, heart
The thr ll,„g experience which Baldwin met with i„ hi, attack upon
he flerce brute that had so nearly brought hi, sport to a tragic ebi
taught h,m u very useful lesson, to wit: the hunting of 1 oS by 4 '
a,dof ahor,e totally untrained to the purpose, is s^at-cely "ess dan
gerous than the pu.suit on foot. He aocordinolv r. „,„ if
the eventful sport un,nounted until s,,:: ti'-'Ife'lsTe" ^-^d';:: ,r:
Englishman, „a„,ed Mur,.ay, can.e ^Z:.^:^:::^;^^^
.0. the back „f .leh hfhuLr::; ^r™^ ^a^ft^d :;z';
,.u„^pass,ng .h,.o„gh so critical a„ experience as befell hl^^M:
For ,,ea,ly two weeks Baldwin, Oswall and Munay hunted together •
„d,nctw,h great success, killing „„ ,ess than te"^, lio, „n^th ee
tea a tenacity of life positively wondeiful. "Mr. Baldwin relates
hat wlnle he was failing the fresh spoor of two or three it,
• laige l,o„ess was jumped which made through the .rasa oVbl
;..e their^aim ^:-J:^::::r^aX,'z::t^'j:
OiThe tr'^' T^ !' ""' '""' """''"^ ^'"> '>'=™ t-adly wounded
0 ol t !^ r'T^ d^jy Baldwin took two native gun-bearers and started
ininoceros that they were very eager to b.ing down.
lie TK,.''r.7r ..?!"' '>?.«'"<'-" in '^ -e>e- search for the
the T'owir;! r r °' '"•' »"«'■"<"'« ^^e wa, discovered by
fcg,owU that she emitted as she lay well concealed in some high
c«. The gun-bearers gathered several stones which they flun. It
624
THE WORLD ASHORE.
525
her until she issued f<Mth in view, though she was too badly hurt to
make a charge. Seeing her defenceless condition, Baldwin approached
very near, hoping to speedily dispatch her and thus end her misery
But his good intentiono he found difficult to put into execution for he
declares that he fired no less than twenty-one ounce balls into the most
vulnerable parts of her body before she finally expired.
HOW THE LION BRINGS DOWN A BUFFALO
Although the lion will attack nearly any species of game when
moved by hunger, his principal subsistence in South Africa is off
cape buffaloes, which are very plentiful south of the Kah.kari desert
These animals are not always an easy prey even to the strongest lion
while an old lion will seldom, if ever, attack them. The power of a
three or four-year-old lion, however, is almost phenomenally great
while his courage is fully equal to his prowess. *
In attacking a buffalo the lion uses no little stealth, for, since he is
not a great runner, he must make up in cunning that which he lacks
in speed. In searching for his prey tho Hon usually keeps close to
the water courses, or pools, and there lie- in some covert awaitin*. the
approach of a victim. If a herd of bufPaiocs come to drink he abides
his time until one become ; separated a little distance from the others
when he stalks this one until within a distance of four or five bounds*
In making the attack he does net pounce upon his prey in a hap-haz^
ard manner, but invariably strikes for the neck, seizing the unfortu-
nate animal at the junction of the shoulder, when, with a desperate
bite and a wrench sideways, he separates the vertobiro and causes
almost mstunt death. Having secured his victim he. does not at once
begin his repast on the spot, but invariably drags the carcass a dis-
tance from where it first falls, though rarely into a thicket, apparently
bemg content to move the body without regard to any particular place
m which to make his meal. .
*• A BRAVE SHEIK DESTROYED BY A LION.
It is With no little astonishment that we view the extraordinary
bravery sometimes displayed by the native Africans, who hunt the
most dangerous beasts that infest their country with no other weapons
than the spear or assegai. We will presently see how the Aby.ssin-
lan hunters pursue the elephant and rhinoceros, and meet those terri-
Dleaiiimalsface to face with onlv n «vw,|-/i tj..* *u„ u-_--._- . . .
these experienced hunters manifest does not exceed that of a young
Sheik, whoso desperate valor in the defence of a few of his followers
526
'^m,Jr
THE WORLD ASHORE.
527
caused nm to lose his life. The .tory is told by Baker, who obtained
the particulars fro.n tu-« eye-witnesses who ascapcd destruction bv
flec.n- i..to the branches of a friendly tree. Briefly repeated the ac-
count IS as follows:
A sheik and tnreo followers were passing through a section of
Nuhui. enroute to a neighboring vUlage. when they suddenly came
up.... a lion and lioness that stood directly in their wav. nor dei<r„ed
to step aside to let them pass. Usually a lion wilfretreat aUhe
«.ght of a man, but on this occasion hunger must have made him
bold, for he set up a dreadful roari.ig a.ul otherwise showed his ma-
I.CI..US spirit. The four men were greatly disconcerted by this bold
sp.nt, for they perceived that the lion meant mischief. Bein<r armed
with no other weapons than some light assegais, they attem'pted to
retreat, but the lion was determined that he would break his fast on
the present opportunity, and pursued tlv^ > so rapidly that the sheik saw
one or more (,f his party must fall v-.tims i > the marauder, ho bravely
he determined to meet the lion's at a. k, tru. - ii.g that by thus acting
he could make escape for his folh.vvn.s p(v sjblo. On rushed the
growling brute, and heroically stood t, theik until he had hurled his
weapon deeply into the lion, though the hurt it gave the creaturfe did
not even for a moment stay its attack. The lion leaj.ed upon the
poor fellow, and, bearing him swiftly to the earth, in a trice tore him
limb from limb. The three companions succeeded in gaining the hi^h
branches of a tree, from which they were co.npelled to witness the
horrible feast that followed. The lion dragged his victim a few
feet away from where the attack was made, and then lay down beside
the body and leisurely made his meal. The lioness, less bold than her
consort, d.d not approach nearer, no doubt being afraid to participate
m the feast on account of the men in the tree, but she patiently
waied for her lord until he had finished his repast, when they both
"''^!|?- V"^ *^'"« "^^» ^^h« ^'''^ «ff<^^«ted their escape through the
sacrnraiof their brave sheik, quitted their perch when the li.ns dis-
appeared, and running to the village gave the alarm. A big huntin.r
party was quickly made up and went in search of the lions, but the
game was not found.
FACTS AND ARAB SUPERSTmONS CONCERNING THE LION
The lion, as previously remarked, is chieflv confii^ed to Af--- *he
tiger exclusively to India. Why this is so.'no work on naturarhis-
tory, so far as my reading extends, undertakes to explain, and the
n
1^'
m
' 'J
. I,
V
P'i'iiJI
528
IW'
SEA AND LAND.
fact is rendered more si„gul»r when wo consider timt the lion or (wer
finds n«ti..ng ,„ „li„,ate, p,-ovided it be torrid, injurious to its feahh
rMt"!^;l"!'r.;"''' "■»'■• -P'-oOuotion. In captivity thcv will
THE WORLD A8H0RB. .^^g
but during periods of hun'o^L k T^ ''" '" '""'^ '«»"'>1«.
beasts J not only „m he Xkn 7'' «'"«' ""d d«..gerou8 o^
short of devouring even b'Lk^r'' ''"' '"' ^oes rot stop
.ports the fouo„i!;g i:,;';:;:' rt;.n„i". '"-" -' ''- ^""-'V""
Wo thought, at first, that the „, 1„ ' " L .7""'"'-' " ''™»- '
was perfectly t.ue, and only he. kuTthoT",^"" '"" '"^ '""7
«,e left. 0„ examinin.. Ih.Z^tnl'l F', '"""-"* ""'' "" «''!''
of a young springbok wel- alt "II" '""'"t^' '^^ fosh re„,ah,s
lured that the lion „„d li„„e,. ' rJI. " u ' " "'"'■'■''"™ '^""i'"'-
""' P'--ingaau<Bcien raT;J ,!h Th ,"^7'""'' "'" ""'«H>-'
after killing his wife, had eaten Lr" '' '"'"""'"' = ""^ '"-
™u:°oiii„t::kt/;:rrt''"7''"'-''''""''''-«-''''-»sthenons,
Abd-el-Merr, a,; as ft^llo,"". P^P"'"'' ""*« "' '- great writer,
othlr":;:!:, ;:te t'dt;"'" '"^ '"'■°''^"' -' " "™ -»■ -- every
" To cure a person of ,° r ! l! T 7 °' *"""■' '" "'" ""''■
, "A piece „f',i„„.: ski ;:t;"„i r:;r.i ''™'^ "'"■•
from vermin. f ' m a che.t ot clothnig will preserve it
*' Rubbinof the fppf vwifK i: >
"Lie cure fo° chliwlr. *'™"°" ™«»"'"ended as an infal-
" He who carries about him the t,.!i t ,• .
wiles and deceits of the world wM ! . " " " P'""' "?""'»* *!>«
those ,nade fro™ the hair Jlu/ii: llf V.t."""^' "'"'""" """'^'^ »™
"-'rirrirsiLr,^^^^^^ --^ -" "'-■™- i^^u..
" Though the lion is bravest „f^„,T * ''f '""'"^ '" '«' "'"""■"d-
'rowing of a eock or the nCin ! „J "T, ' ^°' '"' "'" «™ "' *!>«
»°t even tcn.pt hin> t dr k"?™:' "^ " ' !""' ""-ving thirst will
l»pped." ""^ """^ » poo' in which a dog has first
'■^^■^^^Z:^:^: "''"-\''- "■»'""- ^-0 loaves
■» »te goes, that „„ one c ufind hlr v""' 'Jr^' "'" ''"' '""■<<^
^^ e oou ind her young. When the old lion takes
530
8EA AND LAND.
his offspring out to hunt, if he notices that one of them trembles at
the sound of any voice or cry, he puts his mouth to its ear and gives
a roar that renders the cub thereafter insensible to lesser sounds.
The Arabs believe that when Noah was taking two of every kind
of animal into his ark, some objection was made to receiving the lion
on account of its vengeful disposition, whereupon God afflicted the
leonine pair with a fever, which rendered them powerless; from this
fever they never fully recovered, for the lion's body is yet very hot
while his breath is foetid as if his blood were still ill-conditioned.
For every dream in which a lion figuies the Arabs have an augury,
and even the most intelligent classes impose great confidence in the
predictions thus indicated.
Thus is the king of beasts hedged about with the marvelous ro-
mances which ever cling to royalty and the mighty.
The lion of Asia, though fierce as his congener of Africa, is still a
poor beast by comparison, being almost destitute of mane, that seal
of supreme sovereignty, and much smaller than the African species,
which he but indifferently imitates.
It is a singular fact that thougii the lion is supposed to be a strictly
carnivorous beast, he is nevertheless both insectivorous and frucrjvor-
ous at times. In periods of scarcity, or when old age prevents it
from capturing larger game, the lion will subsist on locusts and small
lizards, nor does it even disdain to satisfy its hunger on beetles and a
variety of other bugs. The water-melon of South Africa, which
grows like a tuber, some feet under ground, is a favorite dish with
the lion, especially during droughts, when he finds water difficult to
obtain. These melons he finds by tracing the creeping vi|ies and
scratching them up like a dog.
Ill
CHAPTER XXVIII.
THE ROYAL TIGER.
^N Africa there is no animal that disputes the lion's sovereignty;
he is there king, not by courtesy, but by might, and the strik-
ing dignity of his wonderful frame and ways. In Asia, how.
T ever, there is one, if not a greater, still a peer, for in the Tiger
we find all the attributes of a beastly monarch, with the natural
THE WORLD ASHORE.
531
5:^ =}.r-rr.i-— -tr "• —
^; rxi— IS ,!£;--:■. ;: is -
.piouoas, and thus operate to it» d«advanto..e J, h,,. . l ° """"
J»d .-enderi.. it „„,. like.y „, dote^X' ' '^^tf '^^f ''^
Wood declares, «* the vertical stiino-.* *i u 1 , """^ers, but, as
with the dry, dusky jungle 'as« ^ I' u"^^ ^"rmonize so well
dwell, that ^Lgra^s'anf^^^^^^^ 'b. creature loves to
other except byr;\::'lfe^:ri ^^^^^^^^^^ '^ ''''
coucealed so closely that even JZlT 1^ ^^' '""^ *'^"^' "«
ve^.a«. it ™a, au: reUdt r ::?ss :::;^^^^
Bides the severity which lieV n « ,t„ l ■ ^"^ ''"^'"•'- B^"
ne™„, effect pfodu td tl t exc ed •" t' •" "'j'""''' ""'" '^ *
bla.or.ace,atiLge„eltl:rsrn3 C.,'," """^ ', " '"^'"'•^ "'»' "
ce,. of twenty yeafs' expefieZ rB;nt :ir;hrT'.r " "''■
number of persons he has known to br f nited l!v , * «''""'
them died from wounds iiifli^J . f ^ "'"■'• ""' """ of
fro- ,„ok,aw p^virti'dtr/is r dsTtThir ^"''T-f
appe...d the least alarn.in, were the .nosttide.d'y crHeToT "'
^ VORAOIOU8 MAN-EATESV8
.o°l/h;rtr:sntoft:.rHr;r^'"•'-"''»"»'"•"
-buffalo, ox or deer but wl.Zn ,«« d^'-gl'ts n, striking down
leaves th^ wild haul' of abni' '""""•''' ■■""""• «"=»'> '"«
»te.l man, womaHr I Id „r t'""' *'"""' "'"^ '"'•''' ■""'"' ^"'"S^^ «»
u^aii, woman 01 child, as chance mav offer Whv, «««k • ^-
h. becomes bolder, until at last the ti..er win eveu nT.k, T !"
.« daytime, and take his human preylrom the vtv t ." *""*""'
o«s. Usually, however, he wSes Z r^ dX I,! ^Xrh™
discovers a person unattended, he stalks his vtt'm i^. uch »
m^ner, creeping swiftly but softly, from buirt, bush th.t l'^
not seen or suspected, until his fatafprin. is nade Th!; h v u "
known to lean nnf/i o K 4. . " niaue. ihey have been
.ubep„„;r:2:,ttir::ersur:d:^:;:r^
'™:ro:rdTirr''™''r;,"^
532
SEA AND LAND.
Pi
m
The measures adopted by the Ind»a Government, by which considera-
ble rewards are paid for tiger scalps, has been of comparatively little
benefit, as the scarcity of fire arms among the natives has prevenfed
them from systematically hunting the dangerous beasts. In later
years, however, English sportsmen have directed their attention to
the tiger, particularly since the Prince of Wales made his famous
A STALKING TIGER KILLED BY A TOURIST.
hunt in India, and hundreds of these ferocious pests now fall every
year before improved repeating l-ifles in the hands of thes" f( 'gu
hunters. In traveling the highways of that country, hou .,it is
--mi ixixpi/iiauL It; uc rrcu ctimt;u, iui" iigui's uiu yui quite t'\nilltf' Hu
their ravages very great. A story comes to us of a tou.i witli bie
wife, in 1886, having |jee^ stalfe?d by a tiger on oue of the
lich considera-
iratively little
has prevented
sts. In later
I* attention to
le his famous
&w^"
kIht*?
ai,
ovv fall every
■
thes" fc 'iga
■
lou > -.,it is ^p
tnvmntf- nd
E
li-i ■ with hie
H
of tixe most
1
THE WORLD ASHORE. 533
beroafte,- be Ue.onbed wmrve ti:.:r '"""""' '''"■'='' "'"
When about to bnZZvtrC " "'J'""'
jangle, taking ape™ 1 it ^ t! n T"' ?" *'^""^' ••^'""^ '" " <'™^e
who. .should L k,d tj vMp, Ti r'' ;:'■"" '""' '"'» "•« """'.
he exhibits over the :.!« 'f I' ,^, ''"tI'"' "■-"-iousne.
tiger to destroy his owu progeny h„T tl e J '"7™«'^ "f the
population of these tie,™ „? "^^ '" '''''P <'»™ the
estimated that f „y t h. ""f tT "7 "T'""'- '"- " «
glattouous oannibaiifn, onh^'lje ;,':: ■""•" ^"" ""«- '» »"«
~!!h :: bu;^:";';:!:!'/:!''' frf '"^^ --->■« -thing «,
the fi^t two wee\ o7 ir fverbu?at'; '" '1 '7"' "'"«"« "''"S
ferocious instincts ar. sow , d ;elld n' f'f "' '"" "■■"""'' '""^
f'.ra man to atte„,pt to Z1^7oTd^ ,?"" '^ "="■="•>"»
hood they arevery sportive „i!h,r' n " "■" P"""'' "' "help-
away th/ entire da?!:";^^ !?„: ^d' r,?",""" •'"'°"''^' ""■"-«
soimals of the feline snects Ti.' ,u "'"''P'"?. »» do most
e-. P.oviding for «"rer.ar„:ir r: /ratou'Th """ ^r
".e tigress fo»pels her yor^ , Xt be",' ""'™.? k' ""'"^ " ■>«-■"''
Wag apparently more .Ca df ? f " '"'■ "'« «'«t attack,
o«h Which sheL. s^elrr ttreZ^t^ "■^" '^^' "' ""
t^e!:f etrw.^rt::dr^:t";:r''- ™-^ -^^-^
">ark™en:b„twoebenLaI;, i * "" '""""""^ ""^^t for
i» the belief that it is n^erles^ t 7 .° "™''' "P"''"''"' '' '» « •'"at
c«n8,r;t„„„._,M .'P""'!"'*'^ *» "J" harm while swimmin.. f„, :.
™ i.md: Tnd::d:t:t:;i'i:"ri';vr'""' '*^'"^''"- '•'"-'p'"y
*!., beiog pressed by l^Ll td sLr" ^"°'' """«>"'?. "^ « tiger
y nunger, and seeing a schooner anchored not
a.r.J|?t'J
534
SEA AND LAND.
fur from shore, boldly swam out tM it and, despite a vigorous defense
by the crew, contrived to board the vessel. The men, in affright, all
jumped overboa-v r;ither trusting themselves to the water than to
stand before a (i re animal that was evidently bent on mischief. The
tiger roamed about on board until he scented the larder, whii:li he
immediately tore open, and, after feasting to his content, leaped (ver-
board again and returned to shore.
FIERCE OOMBATR BETWtl;N TIGERS AND LIONS.
In the early days of Rome, as every reader of -mcieni uu-Uvq
knows, the populace were frequently entei-tained by giadiatori;' com-
COMBAT OF THE JUNGLE MONARCHS.
bats and fights between wild animals, the favorite amusement being
contests between lions and tigers. If the question be asked, which
is the more powerful of these creatures, repeated battles between
them show that the tiger is decidedly superior to the king of beasts.
A celebrated tiger, owned by the king of Oude, was brought to
England some years ago, having been purchased for the sum of
*2 000. It was trailed Juncla, and was kept for several y by the
bestial potentate to furnish him with amusement in the < torial
ring.
Time and again was
et upoa the strongest.
lat could
THE WORLD ASHORE.
535
be obtained, but in eveiy contest it was victorious, having slain
altogether nearly thirty lions. Shortly after its arrival in EiTgland,
the keepers became spectators to a fierce battle between the new
arrival and a favorite lion, resulting in the death of the latter inside
of ten minutes.
The two creatures had been placed in a large iron cage, divided by
!{ iseayy partition in the center so as to separate the animals, but see-
ing his now common foe, the tiger was not long in tearing out the
Uitrs, and forcing his Avay into the lion's compartment. A desperate
fight was at once begun, which no amount of beating and thrusting
on the part of the attendants could stop, and they were thus forced
t») stand by and witness the fearful encounter. The lion wore a
Diane so heavy that his throat was well protected, and thus pos-
sessed an advantage very considerable, as the tiger had to confine its
attack to its antagonist's legs and hindquarters. But a few minutes
served to show the immense superiority of the tiger which, though
lacerated somewhat about the neck, wounded the lion in such a horrid
manner that in ten minutes the king of beasts was rendered helpless,
while the tiger's injuries healed within two weeks.
In the combats referred to it was evidently the Asiatic lion that was
engaged, for I am quite convinced that the African lion is superior to
the tiger, as he is very much the superior of his Asiatic congener, as
much so, indeed, as the African elephant is superior to the Asiatic
species.
Though tigers, like lions, may be taken when young and so far
tamed that they perform many amusing tricks and show considerable
attachment for their keepers, yet they never entirely lose their fierce
temper, and are very dangerous pets. The tragic death of a woman
known as the i^ Lion Queen," which occurred some years ago, is an
example of the untamable nature of the tiger. She was accustomed
to perform twice every day with a tiger, going into his cajre and mak-
ing him leap over a whip, crouch, lift his paw, and run round her,
until she regarded her employment as involving no more risks than
were her great charge an affectionate dog, instead of a tiger who
could deal death with one stroke of its paw, or a grasp of its mur-
derous jaws. On one occasion the tiger seemed sullen and refused to
obey its fair mistress, when she struck him alight blow with her whip,
as was her custom ; in a moment he sprang upon her, like the fiercest
man-eater of India, forced her against the side of the cage and seized
586
oEA AND LAin>.
berMiroat. The horrified spectators rushed to her rescue and she was
almost instantly extricated from the monster, but, alas, too late;
that one grip of the tiger's jaws was enough; the woman was taken
out of the cage dead.
V
HOW THE TIGER TAKES ITS PREY.
When seeking its prey the tiger never relies upon its strength or
swiftness, both of which natural powers it possesses, but employs
stealth, creeping cautiously toward its victim, availing itself of every
cov.er, like the Indians who used to steal upon the settlers in the
lonely West. More nearly like the Indian is the man-eating tiffer
that stalks his human prey, preferring defenseless women and chil-
dren, and avoiding men, who, its cunning tells it, are usually armed.
It is fond of lying in wait beside frequented roads, choosing some
spot where there is the deepest shade and where water is near at hand,
for, after eating, the l^iger feels a great thirst that it must satisfy.'
From this dark covert he springs upon his victim with great precis^
ion, but it is a strange fact that should he miss his prey at the first
leap, the tiger appears confused, and very rarely, if ever, returns to
the attack, but makes off at great speed. It is said that the man-
eating tigers are readily distinguishable from others by a darker hue of
the skin and the redness of the eyes, this peculiarity of color bein*^
due, it is alleged, to the eating of human flesh. I very much doubt
the assertion.
The places where there is the greatest probability of encountering
a tiger are the crossing of nullahs— deep ravines— where water is
found. Here he finds his two essentials, cover and water, without
which he is a cowardly and helpless creature, neither given to at'ack
nor standing to defend himself. But give him cover, and water near
by, and the tiger will infest a locality so long as bullocks and people
come his way.
Wood describes the following introduction which a deer-hunter
,had to a tiger in the rhur grasses of India: "He (the hunter) had
crept up to a convenient spot, from whence he could command a
clear view of the deer, which were lying asleep in the tall grass; he
had taken aim at a fine buck which was only at twelve yards distance,
and was just going to pull the trigger, when his attention was aroused
by a strange object which was waving above the grass, a few feet from
the other sJue of the deer. It was the tail of a tiger, which had ap-
proached the deer from an opposite direction, and had singled out
THE WORLD ASHOllE. ' 537
the very animal which was threatene.i by his rifle. Not exactly knol
e adjusted h.s piece, and was «<rMiM goin^^ to fire, when a ii^ei- s„r.„,.,
ou ttsh.8own. Under the circumstances he did not choose to dis
Another sportsman had a somewhat similar meeting, which he an
precmted qu.te as little as the doer-hunter. Peacockrabo nd n tl"
lb.... . t„gb. .bi.b b. d.„.„. h. „„., „i„ i„™'j "i^""
™ HUNTING THE TIQER.
In one part of India the natives gather le-ives nf f J
which they bedaub with bird-lime an^ h nXllit the nC" c"''
sderable space of ground about the timer's ImI t ""
<reUt fhlK ,"'/ '"*" '"" "•"P- ""<' '» ^»IW"S "round t.Tin<- to
tar from sportsman-like, since it is somewhat cowardly.
5^8
SEA AND LAND.
When ft tig«r makes a raid on his cattle the Shikarrie watches the
covert into which the bullock is drasrffed until In discovers the oxuit
locat'oi: 'ji the caicjiss. The tiger, unless it be a man-eatei, ha^ no
disposition to harm a human so long as opportunity offers for it to
THB WORLD AS. ^Rl.
539
•atlsfy its hunger off domestic cattle; the Siiikarrie, tlierefore, en-
counters little danger when watching the despoiler of his flocks, and,
having located his lair, the hunter builds a strong platform upon a
superstructure of large bamboo twenty feet high. Having com-
pleted this work ho mountH totho8umn.it of the scaffold ^v^th his
gun and sword. Upon this safe retreat he watches for the tiger, which is
near at hand, and manages to shoot the boast, occasionally, but the
Shikarrie are never good sportsmen, and they more oftcM wound than
kill the tiger, in wliich latter event, though the hunter is out of reach,
he IS certain to be attacked. The tiger, perceiving the perch of its
enemy, charges furiously up the hard bamboo stalks, into which it
tries desperately to drive its claws ; should the animal succeed in
reachmg the platform, as it sometimes does, the Shikarrie finds
use for his sword, with which he cuts off the brute's fore-paws the
moment they reach the edge of his '^treat. Should the scaffolding
fall under the tiger's assults, the hunter abandons himself at once'^
as well he miirht, to a horrid death which he is certain to suffer.
Should the tiger be killed, as it most frequently is, the nei<rhbor8
are quickly attracted to the spot, with the hope of sharing thelpolls,
winch are not inconsiderable. Besides the ordinary trophies, such as
thes a, claws and teeth, there are other portions of the tiger nmre
eager! ought, such as the tongue and liver, which possess the great-
est value. These organs are appropriated to the healing art. by first
being cut ,to small cubes, after which they are dried and in this
conditioi applief^ is remedies to perform all manner of cures.
Another mod hunting the tiger, not much practiced now, but
very popular in former days, is by the use of -reat nets into which
the animal is driven by a large number of men and elephants. A
tiger being first discovered is scared into the covert, where it remains
until the nets are spread and everything is in readiness. The bnaters
now advance into the covert tiring pistols, ringing bells, blowing boms
and beating drums, making such a hideous din that the tiger is iri-rht-
ened and rushes outof its lair only to find that every avenue of esc'ape
18 shut off save one, which leads to the nets ; this latter it takes, only
to find, at last, that it has chosen the most dangerous of all paths,
for, becoming entangled in the net, the hunters quickly dispatch it
with rrnno O 4.;.- ., . - . - •' r
_ - o"..^. wwwiyiiuieo, even the nuise oi" tiie b» iters will not rouse
the tiger, in which event rockets are set off which go ricocheting
through the jungle, or just above it, like a monster fiery dragon.
540
SEA AND LAND.
Tbi8 sight inspires the tiger with the mo8t intense dread, and never
fails to bring him quickly from his cover and in range of the guns of
the hunters who have surrounded him.
POPULAR MODE OF HUNTING THE TIOER.
The most common manner of hunting the tiger now, since breach-
loading and repeating rifles came into general use, is by bearding him
HIST I THB TIGER IS APPROACHING.
in his den, so to speak, as u genuine sportsman should. Twoortiiree
huntel's usually go together, not so much for mutual protection as to
make more certain of their game, as the hunt must be conducted in
ilicai. 11CIU3, •■JL liiui i^iaaa v/i lai^c Liuv;ts Oi juiiiiico, xii/tu tvi!:'-11 !'■••
tiger might easily escape should any of the sides be left unguarded.
The mea proceed on foot, accompanied by beaters whose duty it is,
THE WORLD ASHORE.
Ml
an just explained, to frighten the game ,o that it will come out «n^
present itself a targot for th. hunters. Thi.s p.lcuut , i... .^
.|.m,g. and „. ,..,t„i„ . p,.„|i,„i,„„.y ,..vo„go for its „„„ de„ h
There H „ cortuh, bushy shrub, calloU th„ /forinda, whioh in
-.0 u,lly „ff„c,ed by tigers „„ account „f tho ndmiruble cov ieh
■.- br,.ucho, „ff„r,l. It docs not grow to any groat heigh? b its
ranehcs are thickly leaved, and droop over i,, such a _ ,,"
they fonn a dark arch of foliage, under which the animal Zyr
n^M and heat of the noon-day sun. So fond are the ti<rcrs of this
mode of concealment that the hunter.s ahvavs direct Iheirltc ,s to iT^
korn,d« bu,h knowing well that if a tiger Should be in th .e W ,„ "
hood, It would be tolerably certain to be 1vi„ ^ 7, '""«"''•"-
branches of tho korinda shade. ^ " "'"'"' "'" ■'""°'"»
If a tiger be fairly traced to its ordinary lair the sportsmen prefer
0 he m wait at some convenient -pot, and either to await the yZl
h.y egress of tho quarry or to send in the beater, "d cans" tTe" *
animal to be driven out in tho proper direction \VI,„„ tl .°'"""'," *
adopted it is found bet to have', be'lideftCThic rh rin^, :;
whole battery of gun,, eight or ten i„ number, which a elaw',;
the gound, ready loaded and cocked, their muzzle, all point „. to
ward the spot where tho tiger is expected to make hi, ipp a, „, r
T object of this expedient is twofold: firstly, to make sure" T^
.mmal in case the first shots fail to tell mortally, and, secondlv to
me bush. It IS so usual an occurrence for two tigers to make their
tinlTr'? r ■"•" ""' "'"' ""' ^^P'"''" '" '■«• tl-t the pi
caution 18 an absolutely necessary one.
K low Whether the wound is a mortal one by inspecting the marks
cttu,";.: \c r' ''".' 'r °' "'" ■•■"^^•"'"^ -"-'is
t^unous tact, that however hard !iti<T«r n,o,r K^ Ku .._x _.^ .,
bennt o i.a>.:.4i .l i . °~' ' "-^ ""'' "'^> J'^'^' " ^"6 wound
prims 121^^ ■""f ""/'■"" "'■"" »'"' '"''" ■••^'™^'«'> »"d ""e foot-
E^'n 7 ..'■''" °' "'* *"'"■'«' •"" «'"">'<! «>« injury be one
rtich will shottly cause death, the tiger flings out its limbs with Z
542
SEA AND ]L,ANI>.
paws spread to their utmost, and at every leap tears up the ground
with the protruding talons.
WONDERFUL BRAVERY OF THE OHOORKA TIQER HUNTERS.
The power and audacity of the lifijer, which renders him the most
dangerous of animals, is met with equal boldness by many native
hunters who seek him in his fastnesses and make bold to attack him
with the simplest of weapons. The best tiger hunters in India are
the Ghoorka tribe, who occnpy a considerable section in the mid-in-
terior, where they keep a few domestic animals but rarely cultivate
GHOORKA HIKNTER KILUNG A TIGER.
the soil. They make the best of soldiers, and are famous for their
daring and cuni:ing. As there is a good reward paid by the govern-
ment for tiger-scalps, and as the skins of the beautiful animals bring
a fair price, tlio Ghoovkas spend much of their time in hunting, which
is, indeed, their chief occupation. Previous to the general introduc-
tion of fire-arms into the country the natives hunted with no other
weapons than the spear and sword, which could, of course, only be
used in close quarters. The Ghoorka, however, relying upon his
keen weapon and great dexterity, did not hesitate to enter the jungle,
:8 up the ground
THE WORLD ASHORE.
*ch. if t,.„e. p;,ve, uXl^!ll::';::f - "-7 charged h™.
The tiger hasm„„y weTr, • r ! "°""'- ™ « ^'«''-
grcae rapidity. ThX: 'td^Z H I I ^ \ 'T "'" ''' '™'* -•">
«..dtho l„„g. c„„,„ „e„, tl,o„.h a ,-2 '.T'""'^""""'' *l>"'-'.
n.iscl,ief with it. Img^torXXZt uT^'"''' ''"'"« ""n'*"™
.truck in tl>e liver, the ti.-er mav "3 T' " " '""" «'«=«"ml«. If
%ht f„rio,„„ a.„.„. upCtr:„ir::?ir,r • "" '^ "•"» '-
I'^ihaps of all a„,„,„| „ ' ««''»l'.
«.cstto kill, although thewoufd I'ttta''"' T ""' "' ""^
would say, direct) cause of de-ith ij-L • " '""'antaueous (I
h»l„t,, or diet of the c™ ,tut ''..o! '"'" "l" "'"^^ ""'> "« " 'to
«u„d inflicted „„ a tiger ve,-v soon n"'"' "■™ " »■»''»' "
l«.uu™ tainted, and affordl^r." „ „r"'7 °" ,°"»''^ "''P""™"™-
«e., which take such a hold L ^71*^ ," '"' "'" ""^^'"o"' "-low-
«oundcd tiger has been known to die P""'','""''^' , """ "vcn a slightly
»f the injury, but from the d^vourh 1'^ T "" '"""°'"'"» ««-'»
"bout the wound." How douWy !„ TEt t'^r'T' '" ''>"
small wound inflicted by a ti.re, ,.„ . .V. "'"'^''f'"''. 'hut u very
""" .1 al,„ dies f«™ t feff ,„r"' ™"' P''"""- '^-">. "hile
Hunling the ti..er from ZZi / "^"""^ ""'''■g "'i"'7-
cou.«ge or too effeminut: to beafthe f !. T "'""" •*""""'« »'
"- wc:„,t of a gun. Boy„, ^lot ^"^ '" " ™»7" »» f"->t and
g»'g»u»ly bedecked howdah, h,Ct of g"ytmsel, perched i„ «
»»n disdains such advanta.^e f „ „ f' "• ''"' ""^ "■"■= »l'»>-'8-
erson. tlu.„c.h t ^„ .. . "''"i'^^'t'"" '» attributed to tho t.Vov b,r p..„^
»'"«« i.. ",h; l;,;;™ ':r:™;- ^;™g -- a..y eonflrmatio,-; <:;'the-
"■"" ™ halism. Sandersol ites h fX"-- '" '^'""'^''"^ "^ ">'
'""* '"" '""owing incident in proof:
544
SEA AND LAND.
*«One of the strangest things I ever heard in connection with
tigers, is an instance of three tigers devouring a fourth. This \v;is
also told me by Bom may Gouda and two Sholagas (his beaters, wiio
were with him at the time of the occurrence). For my own part I be-
lieve the story. It was that a male tiger killed a buffalo late one
evening j the carcass was found partially eaten next day ; and the
following, or second morning, when some low caste men, under Boni-
A tiger's daring attack on an INDIA OFFICER.
may Gouda's guidance, went to take whatever might be left, they
found the head and shoulders of a large tiger, and some bones of the
buffalo The ground around bore traces of a savajre fifflit, niul it was
fo'if-u that a party of three tigers had disturbed the original slayer of
t.ie buffalo at sui>i)er, and the struggle which ensued for possession
ended in his death."
Another occurrence somewhat similar is related by Walter Elliot,
■■^'■■\'%s>iW'.'^.jff^
THE WORLD ASHORE.
se„tapud-eleph„„t (o brl,,,. ittl f t," " '■""■'^""■" '» Ws tent,
porting that on his anivul he° f„,„„ h •" """"""S"^- relumed, re-
"."r„i„g to the spot, „„d di:„ .:d ,tt: 17 J""^ ""'" <"" "-'
-,ne hv a.,tho. tig., „„<, ,,.,f .^.t l^^^j^ J:-^,„^- f-'^B^^ i-to a
hger when roused to action hy itjnlt """"I "f"-"' "' >« ".an-eating
•eeras to „,al« hi„, utterly iusensMe to d ' ■" *'" ''""""' "^h
cident will servo to show f ^""S"-'"'' "» the following i„.
During the English conquest of r„di ,
was conducting a .e.^onnoissance i, ho\!! '"7""! "' """'"' »">'-r
l";ng through n jungle rarel^fr , t ,,ed I '' "' '^f'""'" "'■*«. '»
'"ediate vicinity of „ ,T„5|i„ h^w 'v " f ''f I""."' "'""»'' '■" ""e in-
curred. The chief of the conimnv w'„ T ''""■"'''"l^ "'■cident oc-
yr.<U in advance of his n.on,^!. ' ? '"""' '"^"'^o'- ''"rty
ger. when, suddenly, fron. .«t a thi rZr"' f "^ '"''^'"S -l^l
P"n h,n, with auch impetuosity th. b„tl.'''' '''=' *'S" 'P'''"g
'" the ground. The advance of tt co , """ '■'""•■ *"■■« dashed
«.e occurrence, but neithe t i ," T'"^ ""V'"'"- f«" -gl.t of
beat off the desperate animal vc™,"" "T- "T '"'^ ''"^^ ">
«l.et hy a dozen balls, and ki led Tin «" "' ^""^"^ """"k until
'" '"^ '"■'"^^ "'^'t he died the following nfe^'' '"" " """'^'^ '''"«"
DESPERATE RAVAGES r..r . ° ^ "
1" 1873, about Septen.ber ,. q "•''■""''° ^""•"»-
;»-"f Money "ud'su,™, ii t: h';:;;;;'; """i-- -'^'-. tbe
;™« ^-"'="-"t from the horrfble °v ™^^^ "'" '" " ^""« "^ "-
Ttoan,„,ars fits of mau-eatin., a,l' eff , •" """"■'•"""g tigress,
k'il-g three or four persons J,e ' " d t ""f "■ittent. for after
"".I'.unan flesh for a month olZ^TZ''''^'''^''"''' ^""^ting
'■"™l »l.e had just killed two bov „,, " '"""' "' S»"derso»>:
f"".g their bodies to th.t of eh7 "'"' ">-™ attending goats, pre.
»«»■» "as brought in to effl-rif ""* ""'P'" '>"<' "-■--d,
furriofl ,.«• . L _ . "'"ts rioin JMorlev^ with p,.«fi i 3 ,
• -n tiic cveniijff beforo tt'..' ' ' ^"ttiu, had been
« '"i»l.^.p had occur^d S nder , "" """""' "' ""^ 1''"™ "here
''» tig'-ss after the la^ ' of "'ren h """ ''' "i" "''"'"^^ '" '"-"^ f"
85s ' ^"''"'''"'"■^!''»* would have retired
f/f
-Jr fi
54B
SEA AND LAND.
to the dense jungle, and her tracks be lost. He therefore urged the
people to bring news of further losses at the earliest possible moment.
On the 19th of December another man was carried off close to the
village of lyenpoor, five miles from Morley, but Sanderson was not
notified until two days afterward. On Christmas day Sanderson took
an elephant and some trackers with the intention of making a search
in tho jungles about lyenpoor for tracks of the dreadful beast. Upon
entering the village the widow of the tigress" last victim, followed by
her three children, approached him with singular apathy and relatod
what she knew concerning her husband's death. He gave her some
money, as she would have to expend a small sum, in accordance with
caste usage, to rid her of the devil by which she was supposed to be
attended on account of her husband having been killed by a tiger,
before she would be admitted into her caste's villages ; and then,
accompanied by the headman and others, went to the scene of the
last disaster. A solitary tamarind tree grew on some rocks close to
the village ; there were no jungles within three hundred yards, only
a few bushes in the crevices of the rocks ; close by was the broad
cattle-track into the village. The unfortunate man had been follow-
ing the cattle home in the evening, and must have stopped to knock
down some tamarinds with his stick, which, with his black blanket
and a skin skull-cap, still lay where he was seized. The tigress had
been hidden in the rocks, and in oner bound seized him, dragged him
to the edge of a small plateau of rocks, from which she jumped down
into a field below, and there killed him. The place was still marked
by a pool of dried blood. She had then dragged her victim half a
mile, to a spot where were still found his leg bones.
Sanderson contmued his search in the vicinity of lyenpoor for
about ten days without being able to get on to the track of the tigress,
or to hear any word from the natives concerning her. At the expira-
tion of this time, however, he was startled while eating his dinner by
the cry of natives, who had come in from another village near by
with the report that one of their people, while participating in a festi-
val, had been seized and borne away by the man-eater. On the fol-
owing day Sanderson again went in pursuit with his trackers, and was
not long in coming upon the tigress' tracks. While examining these
e/vrriA r^t^nxva off i-o/.fo/l liia dffonH/^n oa fl»<av WAl'A VinvAI'ino" smd f'ftWinff
OvtiiV viT^VVJ? rt ^ t't .t» -t " ■'» f .„,,«...,-..... .*.. ^ ^. .. — ^. _. - >- ^
about a spot only a few hundred yards distant. Repairing to this
place he found the remains of the man last taken, consisting only of
THE WOBLD ASHORE.
547
on the tracks of tl.e beast, onW o f nH Tt.T" "'" ^""""""^ *«»'
the river and made good l.er"C,e t 1, 'if-, '"r"'™"' '""> ""»-d
usoJcss to pursue her. ' ""* '""'' '"'J"""', where it was
It. » * '"leST EATEN BV A TIOBb
About one week after this, th, driest of , „ .
due west of Morley, and in « co,„n? !■ , °" '^P'" '«» "•"«
Uger had not been hl-ardo 'fooler';: 'Jf^ "'"■'' r"""'^' ""-'- «
bullock one morning, to sweep out .n l' T"!"^ "'"'« °" his riding
in which he "fficiatd,a„dTop;ftr;t "?'"'' ''""S'^-'-'P'^
Koorabappah •• the offerings of he Lnl M,^'"" " Y«""".v Hollay
placed in that deity. Sudden,/ i^Ztilhr" ",'"" '"'"- "»^
he path. The terrified bullock kiS "ff t ■ T * ''"P"*^ ''"''
hack to the village, while the ti<n-e s-f.r". 'l"' ""•' S"""P«<»
poor man-eater, far out of h,.,- ,!,T ""' ""' <•■'="<'«'' I^en-
Priest and carried him off j' L ed'Z'r''''-.^^'^^'' "- "«?'»-
The ne.U death was of „ T ■,, , "P "''"''"« '"■"'••
■of Ea,nasomood,„m :; ^r.^i'n:: H, "t''""' «'=™'"' ^"■''.- -
i" the jungle near the temple |,ntre T '" " ^^--Py hoflow
man who was separated from the others T"- '^"'"""^ "P"" '»'•
eraim at his throat, seized the shouldl and W" ""u "^ '"'"''^
im, or by a blow, threw bin. „n i , Ttb- ^ . "' °'"""' "' J"'*"'?
g^und. Here the wounded 17^1 r ' '""'"' f"^"^* f™"' 'h» ■
•t"n,y creepers, while tl e tt,l t '''"^ "•"'•"' ''"« <=»"sht by
«'*»^ takes place, :iin^i:r:/!,f;:™"^ "appens wh^en any
otho,. „,e„ and cattle had fled at the « T,"^ "'"' """''' °«- The
so...e distance away, and thte C. notl! b'f ' '"'" ^'""^^ "-
1'a.ty to search for the man Zh„! u ^"^'"^ night-fall for a
Next morning the a." t'ed Zeh'? 'f ""l" ""' "<" ■"■<-
»>»'" he had be^n unable to re e,^rh,: !,/''?<'• ^" «» "-gled
fc«"ging almost head downwards alrTb' ""' """'"'"= """J
»ou after he was taken down ^ "'""P"^' "'"' ^^ ^M
■Sr iSo:t?,:r i,!;;^::' ^r ">» — »^- was so
"■« its forage and .oi: 'b:rc;^rr;t:\t ''''T'l'"""'"'"
' ^^^o® ^»"«, wbiijli Avere sp
548
SEA AND LAND.
densely covered with jungle that there was no possibility of a man
penetrating them.
After the death of the Ramasamoodrum villager, nothing further
was heard of the man-eater until the 14th of January, 1874, when the
death-cry was raised at another village called Bussavanpoor, only
two miles from Morley. This town was a small settlement, situated
in the middle of open riee-tields, then bare. There was no jungle to
cover the man-eater's advance, and a tiger had never hitherto been
heard of near the village. This attack was therefore the more uii-
looked for and terrifying to the villagers. The attack hud been most
darinr. At one end of the single street of the village stood a shady
tree, round the base of which a raised terrace of stones and earth
had been built as a public seat; within ten yards of this tree the houses
began. From the manks that were left plain to be seen, the tifriess
had crouched upon this raised terrace, from which she commanded a
view of the street. The nearest house on one side was occupied by an
old woman ; the one opposite by her married daughter, who, it ap-
peared, sometimes slept in her own house, sometimes at her mother's.
The night before she had been going to her mother's, and as she
crossed the street, only a few feet wide, the tigress with one silent
bound seized and carried her off. No one heard any noise, and the
poor creature was not missed until morning.
HOW THE GREAT MAN-EATER WAS FINALLY SLAIN.
Sanderson, having come into the country for the purpose of de-
stroying this most terrible of beasts, felt vexed beyond measure at
his persistent yet futile efforts to come up wjth the tigress, which ap-
peared, as the natives declared, to be in league with the devil, and
therefore able to disappear at will. After the last fatal occurrence
he resolved upon another mode of hunting this dreadful quarry, to
which end he procured an elephant for his own use, and then divided
his trackers into parties, each to pursue a different way and thus
cover a large district of country. These parties were instructed to
report to him, immediately, any news of the animal, so that he might
be able to concentrate his men at points to cut off the beast's retreat.
Sanderson had started out his detachments early on the afternoon
of the 15th day of January, and was rejoiced to learn in an hour after-
wards t.bHt ffsur (if his trackers had discovered the creature in !i small
hill hardly two miles distant. Fortunately this hill rose up abouttwo
tmn4re4 feet out of a level, cultivated plain, and its sides were so bare
of a man
ing further
4, when the
ipoor, only
nt, situated
o jungle to
;herto been
3 more un-
J been most
)od a shady
and earth
the houses
the tigress
nmandcd a
ipi«d by nn
who, it ap.
r mother's.
and as she
one silent
ise, and the
pose of de-
measure at
, which ap-
) devil, and
occurrence
quai-ry, to
len divided
|r and thus
structed to
lit he might
5t' 8 retreat.
i afternoon
hourafter-
e in a small
) about two
^ere so bafe
550
SBA AND LAND.
that a more favorable spot could not have been selected by the hunt-
era to make their success more certain. There was no jungle in less
than five hundred yards of this hill, so that, so long as the tigress le.
mained here, she was perfectly isolated. Sanderson, fit first, believed
the tigress was still on the hill, so excited were the trackers in ni.ik-
ing their report, but he soon learned that it was on the hillside she
had been discovered while dragging a bullock up its sides, and hcin<'
frightened off she had sullenly retired to the jungle near by. Ho now
arranged to receive her when she should return to her repast. On
account of the barrenness of the country he had to cut branches and
pile them upon a small shrub which stood in the plain, at least sevciitv-
five yards from where the bullock lay, but, having completed his
blind, he sent all the trackers away save one, and then settled down
to watch for the tigress' coming.
Sanderson and his faithful companion sat through several woaiy
hours and until twilight shadows began to steal over the landscape in
a kind of mist, and they feared that their quarry would postpone her
visit until it was too dark to shoot with any hope of precision. I
.will finish this description in Mr. Sanderson's language:
♦« We had been whispering quietly, as we were out of ear-shot of
the cover, and Bommay Gouda had just said, after a glance at the
setting sun, that it was the timet par excellence, for a tigei's return
to its prey, when a pea-hen, which had been hidden among the boul-
ders on the hillside to our right, rose with a startling clamor. This
signal, well known as unmistakable, made us glance throuo-h the
leafy screen, and there we saw the man-eater, a handsome but small
tigress, her color doubly rich in the light of the sinking sun, walk
from behind a rock across the side of the hill, here a barren sheet of
blue granite, and come downwards towards the carcass. She halted
now and again to look far out in the plain towards us. Was the
beast dreaded by thousands, hunted by us so long, and which we had
never even seen before, the guilty murderess, really before us? Could
nothing but some untoward failure now avert her fate?
♦♦ I followed her so eagerly with my rifle that Bommay Gouda
whispered to me to let her get to the carcass before I fired. When
she reached the bullock she stopped, and at the same moment I
fired at her shoulder, broadside on, with my express rifle. Bommay
Ijouda could contain himself no longer, and jumped up before I could
Stop hicDi I did ^o aUo, but could see no ttgress. It was extraurdi*
THE WORLD ASHORE.
551
then up went a tall on the far side of the h„l ^ • ^*
to man killing. H ; euUv:, he',';.7 n"''™"'" '""''"^ ''"'"» '"■«"•
nig:.t. about !.e„po„,r.:utTe »' ScdlnTit: f T^™'
pos» b e tliat the littlo thin,r Hi . ..'"'"' '" '"""'S 't, «nd .t is
' Sir Samuel BuWjif his" T":T,i::f*J'°^"- .
a very interesting st ,rv of „ ^Z h^n f 'j.^'^.^'""''™-." ™'«te8
ture, fron, .hieh^I absL!t.he°f„no:'it "'!'"".'":' ":".'.''^ ;:f-'-
but without sound, a mao-nilieent l.h„.l, ^. • i , , »"adenly, •
behind the tl>ickl,,shrto he b, !'■''? "' """"'*'""' ''■""'
of an immense male tCer t.v«f ""-If'*' """ "'"wly the form
the head appeared. Ev^-Cd tr^ntlTlr" 1 r-I-.r', ^
(ler, and waited for a few seconds n.-fn fi, . ^' ^''""'-
0., he took the sl^t.L:r^:Z^\Za:J::7 ^^T' ^'^^^^
the center of the fo^-ehead. • * » h1 H, ed » ^^' '" ^""'^ '*
"The tiger sprang upon its hind le-s, rearln- to iu f..ll u • u.
and with tremendous roars which r-.n/;., f V *'^'»^^'
forest, it fell backwards n e vet con v' ^ "T '^'"^"^'^ ^^«
dark green hush, where, afte rser Is of dV 'T't- '^'""^'^ ''^^
reh,psed into deep, low Vroan. itT "V ", f ' ''''^'^ g'^dually
beneath the shade'of rhe':::::;.!''" '^'^°'^' "'^^ ''' "^-^ ^-d
" There was a thrill <,f satisfaction throuc^h Evcr.rd's fr-.r. .u
f.™ the l^'::^^:'::^:i,:^r-^-- -<■ He..
t..r.s, thought Everard, > Seiwyn 'is ee*:; I, .„t 1"::' "". '":
eclair '""'^ '"'"" "^ ^"^ '"■"^<" '<--* '^e ^".tion „f his
'" Take care !• shouted Selwvn.«.l,.„i„„...,.^,!.
™diy hit, and has rolled into those thiek bushr "" "T"'?' ^ ■""''
hut come up here until tb. h«.t • D.>n'tgo too near,
t" drive her out'- '"' ''™™' "" ■""'' ''"« * ''« ^'«Ph«nts
55S
8BA AND LAND.
*♦ Nine accidents out of ten occur when an'mals liave bee ' wounded.
It is impossible to bo too careful in approachijig a wounded beast;
the tiger, lion, leopard, bear or buffalv) that, would have retreated
when fresh, will assuredly attack if followed up when wounded.
*«Ina very short time anxious faces could be seen appr-ncling,
and it was quickly explained that one tiller was dead, while the other
was severely wounded and concealed within the thick brush. A great
number of men were quickly assembled and orders given that a mes-
senger should bo dispatched to summon the two elephants.
♦♦ In the meantime one of the shikarries ascended a tree within the
thick jungle, and shouted to the otiier that he could see the tigress
lying dead. A village shikarrie, who wished to exhibit his superior
courage, collected several large stones and, advancing to the edge of
the dense bush, threw one in the direction suggested by the muii
within the tree, who actually saw, or thought he saw, the tigress. No
response was made to the first stone. Another was thrown wihtlie
same passive result. The tigress was declared to be dead, asid the
man forced his way into the jungle.
"Almost at the same moment a terrific roar was heard, and the
tigress, with one bound, was upon him 1 Seizing the unfortunate
man by the tliroat, she dragged him into the impervious thicket, where
a succession of cruel ro
him to pieces, This h
nd growls showeU that she was tearing
;i>pened so instantaneously and une.vpoct-
edly that it had been iiBpo?;! ible to render the slightest assistance. It
was an agonizing moment, but hardly had the reality of the terrible
event been impressed upon the bystanders when Everard, without a
moment's hesitation, rushed to the spot, and throwing himself upon
all fours, crept into the thorny jungle upon the track where the tigress
had disappeared with her victim. With his rifle cocked and ready he
lay flat beneath the bushes, and crept forward with caution but cool
determination. He was not aware that the courageous shikarrie,
armed only with his short spear, had followed close behind him, and
was creeping on his hands and knees literally at his heels. A smoth-
ered cry from the native, mingled with the growls of the tigress,
hurried the advance of Everard, who in a few seconds had crawled
within view of the disastrous scene. Lying down upon the ground he
distinctly saw the tigress holding the man by the back of his neck as
she crouched upon the ground by his side ; she was about four or five
yards distant, and appeared to have given her whole attention to the
THE WORLD ASHORE. I g.'a
utfstructlon of her viotim Fi,«» .1 • ,
he k„..|t he could ,ut'thf,T™ 7," '" ',"''1'™''"*' P'»i""n. If
w„u,.l he „ difficult, i„ uj^ 'a th ClT hi""'^'""" "'""
gc..„uslj, exposed t,> his hullel ' ° """' "°' ''"»-
rip of the n4cl i!:^eTi:";s:;i:'?""\-'-'"« "-
.(tack. At that instant wi^h „!"i i ^ '"'^"' ""> """"g
h.-h.« to -each the hS :;^t:ik r :s t:";;.-',T' "-"•
wi.h l.,.r chin, as she couched upo^ the "r "d HU f ,,'';" ''"''
::-:-:=rt:,t;etrK:ry'^^^
round, heing read, with hi^ .^1. . "^ "" ""'""' l"* ">™<«I
his wea;,n as he kr^'-upr h '^ ^d "tVc' """''"'" ''"' ^'"'" "^
Everurd-s bullet had passed th^t^^h^rheat-'brr' '''"■''' t"''-
8|nins had . anied her bevond hi, ^"j ""^ f ■"'• b"' her convulsive
and »he had been fa an^^ied upt Th eV"^ tT *" """""^'■•
trusty sh,ka,.,.ie, who ull bro^ft hi we' ,,''31 ""r "' '""
same instant that he had observed Fv T , i-eady on the
oo.pl-.ely i„,p„,ed hertel^ra'd tlfo Zr'h'X: 'h" !,"• ""' '•"
>»<! bmg. The fi,-st impulse was t! T f ' '^ ""'""S'' •""■•'
wh„,,e body was now dZtd f ™m the Th^t ''"""'""'"'"'"' "'''''''
«Hnct; the bone of th, 'e",,,J ll ,^?"!''?l ^i'« -»» q-te
tk' igress- powerful i tw. Z f dislocated by the wrench of
out tin, head and face trthe b '' ®"!, " '"""'"' ''^ "'" <='■"". had
where the ,i,Jstd ^^t l^rg^^TthtZ;'."' "'""" ""^ '■'^-'-''
is!irr:r!:!-=-- "^Z-rwhose ^as^r. ...
P««telj . Thts ,s true, general ly speaking, and yet th^re
MICROCOPY RESCLUTION TEST CHART
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554
8EA AND LAND.
are times when the tiger will brook no insolence from any creature,
and indeed, will attack the lordly monster without provoc.aion.
The time when the tiger grows boldest is the mating period, though
he is subject to fits of angor at all times, when he will spend his n.ud-
ness upon any animal that crosses his path, regardless of the chirao-
ter of his antagonist. Those who have hunted the tiger by the aid of
an elephant know that it not infrequently happens, in passing through
the tall dry ''rass, where the animal is most generally found, that a
ti«rer will rush out and attack the elephant, even though sevenil hun-
te'rs may be on his back. In making his onslaught the tiger gonoi-
ally attempts to seize the elephant's trunk, fully realizing the tender-
ness as well as use of that member. In the wild state the elephant makes
a crallant defence and charges valorously, but with cat-like agility the
tiger avoids his thrusts and efforts to trample, and usually manages
to terribly mangle the giant's proboscis, or inflict such wounds on
its flanks or legs as compel him to beat a retreat, the tiger rarely
receiving any injuries himself.
Mr. Coryell, however, in a resent number of St. Nicholas, de-
scribes a fight between an elephant and a tiger in which the latter came
off incrloriously, by sacrificing his life in an attempt to make a feast
oif a baby elephant. Describing this exciting contest Coryell writes,
as follows : . • , j
«' One of a party of hunters in India left camp one evening, intend-
in^' to shoot one of the peacocks which were heard screaming in their
discordant way not far from camp. He knew, from experience, tha'
he might find a tiger in the neighborhood, though up to that time no
traces of that animal had been seen. But the tiger is so fond of pea-
cock that experienced hunters always go cautiously to shoot the hiids.
«« In this case the caution was wise, for when near the spot where
the birds were, the hunter just saved himself from stumbling on a
larcre tiger, which, fortunately, was so much taken up with stealiii<!
upon the birds that it did not notice the man. The latter, anticipi.t-
in<r some interesting sport, watched the tiger move stealthily through
the underbrush and come upon the noisy birds. Whoever has seen
an ordinary cat crouch and spring can comprehend what the hunter
saw. The spring was unsuccessful, however; and, as is its custom,
the tiger, as if ashan.cd of bis failure, was slinking away, when tliei^
came a noise of crashing underbrush, and the graceful creature
crouched closely to the ground.
ce from any creature,
without provoc.aion.
mating period, though
he will sperdhis niiid-
wardless of the charao-
the tiger by the aid of
ens, ill passing through
anerally found, that a
en though several hun-
lught the tiger gcncr-
y realizing the tendei-
tate the elephant makes
with cat-like agility the
e, and usually manages
nflict such wounds on
etreat, the tiger rarely
r of St. Nicholas, de-
in which the latter came
ittempt to make a feast
contest Coryell writes,
inp one evening, intend-
card screaming in their
■, from experience, tha'
ugh up to that time no
tiger is so fond of pen-
Dusly to shoot the hnk
len near the spot where
f from stumbling on a
taken up with stealing
The latter, anticipnt-
move stealthily throiigli
ds. Whoever has seen
rehend what the hunter
p; and, as is its custom,
inkin'*" awRV, when there
the graceful creature
THE WORLD ASFORK.
555
The noise as the hunter had at once suspected, was caused by the
approach of a herd of elephants. Again he waited silently f'r
BATTLE BETWEEN THE ELEPHANT AND TIGER.
viBuring wnere the peacocks had been feeding onthegr-ain
It.- i
556
SEA AN1> LANb.
which grew there. At the head of the herd gamboled a baby elephatit.
Uncouseious of the presenqe of the tiger, the little creature wiis al-
most upon it, when the great cat, as if unable to resist the temi)t'>
tion, darted toward it. Like magic the whole herd responded to tho
shrill cry of the mother, and the leader of the herd charged to llie
rescue.
The ti'^er seemed willing to retreat, but that the leader would not
permit, and then began a fierce combat in which the tiger, with all its
agility, strove to take the elephant anywhere but in froxit. To avoid
this, the elephant moved about with astonishing celerity, and finally,
with a quick plunge, caught the tiger under its ponderous foot, and
with one terrible thrust pierced it with its tusks."
CHAPTER XXIX.
THE ELEPHANT.
jEW animals are more familiar, in a general way, to all people
than the elephant, and of zoological curiosities he is the
most common, yet familiarity in his case does not breed
contempt, for eye will never tire viewing his colos^^al pro-
portions and singular ways, nor will ear grow weary listeninjr to
stories of his sagacity and the stirring adventures in which he RS.
One of the strangest things, because utterly unaccountable, .0 tbc
fact that, although elephants have been used as beasts of burden ii\
Indin from time immemorial, no mention of them is made in Bible
history, nor is there any evidence of them prior to the comparatively
recent period of the Roman occupation . We know that it was the custom
of Egyptians to portray the animals with which th'jy were acquainted
upoiTthe walls of their temples and public buildings, and even upon
the bricks of which their houses were constructed. But the most
critical research fails to show any illustration of the elephant prior to
the Christian era, though it is beyond doubt that vast herds of them
existed in Africa and India.
Mention made in the Bible of " behemoth," if the term applies to
the hippopotamus, clearly indicates a very signiticent fact, viz.: That
the interior of Africa was not an utterly unknown region, even when
Moses took his flight into Egypt, and since the elephant was found id
Irid a baby elephant,
tie creature wns al-
1 res?ist the temptu-
d responded to tlio
erd charged to tlie
c leader would not
he tiger, with all its
in froat. To avoid
selerity, and finally,
jonderous foot, and
al way, to all people
uriosities he is the
;ase does not breed
ng his colossal pro-
weary listeninir to
in which he fis.
naccountable, lo the
beasts of bui'den in
!m is made in Bible
to the comparatively
ihat it was the custom
h'jy were acquainted
lings, and even upon
;ed. But the most
he elephant prior to
t vast herds of them
: the term applies to
cent fact, viz.: That
^n region, even when
lephant was found in
m
A HERD OF ELEPHANTS AT THE BATI^,
558
SEA AND LAND.
Egypt since the date of its first discovery, a mention of the one great
beast and not of the other greater one, is irreconcilable with any
hypothesis that any naturalist has yet advanced, and is only equalled
by the fact that of all domestic animals the camel is the only species
that is not known to have at one time existed in a wild state.
There are two species of elephants, designated according to tlie
countries to which they are peculiar, as the African and Asiatic.
There are marked differences between the two, not, i)erhaps, in hiiliit
or disposition, but in physical features, chief of which may
be mentioned, that the African species attains a much greater
size, his ears and eyes are larger and his color darker than the Asiatic
species; another disparity is found in the African possessing gigantic
tusks, both male and female, while the Asiatic male elephant has
small tusks and the female none whatever. The Ceylon elephant,
though not regarded as being a distinct species, is different from both
the African and Asiatic, in that it is much smaller and is of a gray
color. I believe all native Ceylon elephants are destitute of tu!<ks.
Avery pleasing fiction is entertained by a large majority of people,
whose information is received from the romances of superficial trav-
elers who, in order to write something interesting, seize upon old
stories that are veneered with orientalism. The fiction to which I
refer is a belief in the existence of a white elephant, which, it is
maintained, the Brahmins worship under a belief that it contains the
soul of Buddha. Even some natural histories encourage this false
idea; Wood says: *♦ Sometimes an albino or white elephant is seen
in the forests, the color of the animal being a pinky white, and aptly
compared to the nose of a white horse." The American encvclo-
psedia refers to this supposed freak of nature in this way : "Pure
white albino elephants are very rarely seen ;" giving the subject no
further attention.
MY EXPERIENCE WITH A WHITE ELEPHANT.
During a visit which I made to Russia and Siberia, in 1882, 1 fell
into a strange adventure with a white elephant, which has been de-
scribed in the press of the country, but incorrectly. On an occasion,
while wandering in the Alexander Zoological Garden. of St. Peters-
burg, my attention was attracted by a very beautiful elephant, stand-
ing in its stall, beside which stood a number of people who were be-
ing amused by its tricks. I remarked, at once, to my guide, its ex-
tremely light color, which may be compared to the mark of a sl^^te-
THE WORLD ASHORE.
559
pencil on a slate, and immediately made inquiry concerning its liis-
toiy. Through my guide I obtained an introduction to the keeper of
the royal garden and from him soon learned that my fir.t impression
of the animal bemg a white elephant was correct, which greatly added
to ray curiosity. Further inquiry revealed the fact that the elephant
which vyas a superb female, had been presented to Alexander II. by
the Emir of India, as a token of his royal appreciation for the reces-
sion of a lai-ge strip of territory, whi.h the Czar had taken from Thi-
bet, about 1859, and restored under treaty three years later. The
amma was accompanied, at the time, by a castrate Singalese slave.
who still attended it at the time of my visit. From this slave, who
was a bright fellow, I learned a great deal concerning the so-called
white elephant of India, Burmah and Siam, which fortified me against
the fiction which nearly every one in a Christian country seems lo ac-
cept implicitly.
THE WHITE ELEPHANT 18 NEVER WORSHIPPED
The White elephant is distinguished from his confreres by havincr a
.ghter skin, and pinkish splotches on the trunk, breast and fore-ie^s •
mt this pecuha .ty is not one of birth, since it i3 the result of a skin
disease resembling mange. I may also add that these so-called
white elephants are no more worshipped by Buddhists than is Maud S
a..d other fine stock of his noted stables worshipped by Bonner. It is
frequently the case that the King of Burmah, f^or example, Jvers h
elephants with gorgeous trappings and maintains certain officers who
are called -keepers of the white elephants," but the term is not
more s.gnihcant than that of - Knight of the Bath." The fl^<r of
Bunnah bears in its center the device of an elephant, but not a v°hite
one, be ng symbolical of power, similar to the lion of England, and
e eagle of Anierica. Gray, or pseudo white, elephants^., 'r" ,
nee the kings of certain Oriental countries hold them in great value
.">d bestow upon them unusual attention. The same may be said of
Mussian custom of estimating black horses, for the atteiition which
Muscovites pay to their raven horses is akin to veneration.
.Mte elpl'"? ^Z ^!"^"«^"« '^"^ Europeans regard the supposititious
wane elephant of TiTli-i ok-i th" -'■jlnc ,f n. - <? i -i •*-
iol Li " ^"""l- "'"'"S ''«''■' P-'io-'ly pr.«e„ted to Count
iolsto-wuo was closer to the Cear than any other official in tae
':U f
|y
560
SEA AND LAND.
Empire — by our minist'^r extraordinary, Judge Hunt, I vepreeentod
my project to him and requested hia aid in obtaining the consent of
the Czar, who was the owner of the elephant, to bring the animal to
America for one or two seasons, proffering a bond of $50,000 for
its safe return, stating at the same time that the Ameiican people
would esteem the loan of the animal as another mark of bis majesty's
high regard for the Republic.
Two days thereafter I was delighted to hear from Count Tolstoi
that the Czar had given his consent, together with a gracious reply
to my communication, assuring mo of his warm feeling for America.
The news of the early removal of " Chin Chang" — the elei)h!int's
name — to America soon spread throughout St. Petersburg, and crea-
ted the most profound excitjement. Minister Hunt declared to me that
he drove to the zoological garden, with his family, on three succes-
sive days to see the animal, but was unable to gain admission on ac-
count of the great crowds which thronged the i)lace taking an affec-
tionate leave of the elephant, which previous to this did not appear to
receive much attention. The daily papers published whole i)ages of
matter concerning the animal and its strange history, and universally
deprecated the action of the Czar in consenting to its temporary re-
moval. Indeed, the excitement was equally as intense as that dis-
played by Londoners over the removal of Jumbo to America.
^ A CONTRACT WITH BARNUM.
Having perfected my arrangements I returned to the United States,
and immediately sought P. T. Barnum, with whom I entered into a
contract to rent him the ele[)hant for a period of two 3'ears for the
sum of $25,000, he to pay all expenses of the animal's care and re-
moval, and to also provide the bond that was required. This con-
tract being signed, Mr. Barnum sent two men with me back to St.
Petersburg to accept the elephant and bring it to America.
Upon arriving at the Russian Capital, in company with the agent?
sent by Mr. Barnum, I repaired to the garden for our charge and to
arrange the bond with Emile Raust, the Czar's representative. I
cannot avoid acknowledging the chagrin which I felt when the n":ent,
after examining the animal, refused to accept it as a white elephant,
beimuse it was not as *' white as milk," as he expressed it. The
Czar's eertiiieate, as vvcll as that of our minister plenipotentiary, the
well established history, the color so extraordinary, as he confessed,
had po effect upon Mr. Barnum's agent; he took his stand that it was
)T. I -,? ;• 't.
THE WORLD ASHORE.
061
Hunt, I reprcBentcd
ning the consent of
bring the animal to
r)iKl of $50,000 for
0 American people
ark of his majesty's
from Count Tolstoi
ith a gracious reply
feeling for America,
g" — the elephant's
jtersburg, and erea-
; declared to nietliat
ly, on three succes-
in admission on ac-
iice taking an affec-
lis did not appear to
lied whole pages of
3ry, and universally
to its tempor.iry re-
intense as that dis-
to America.
o the United States,
om I entered into a
f two years for the
limal's care and re-
equired. This coii-
ith me back to St.
America.
lany with the agent?
r our chariic and to
representative. I
'elt when the agent,
as a white elephant,
expressed it. The
plenipotentiary, the
ry, as he confessed,
his stand that it was
not as white m milk, which I never represented it to be, but o„ the
other hand covered a slate with pencil marlcs, to show Mr Ba"
nam
d«fcrel°1°''„,''"1 "■"' '"PP"'*'' "«'™ '=<'"l'» bo no possibility of
0.ff».e,,ce m the last moujent. Suffice it to say, that ihis supreme
;?*>■:
itT-
662
8EA AND LAND.
ignorance of what a white elephant really is, upon the part of his
agent, lost Mr. Burnum not le»s thun one million dollars, and I had
the consolation soon after of knowing that his chagrin was* equal to
my own because the elephant was not accepted. Overtures wer«
again made to the Czar for the animal, but justly enough he refused
to consider them, and to atone for the supremely great mistake, Mr.
Barnum's partners insisted on bringing a small scrubby specimen of
the Ceylon elephant to America and exhibiting it as a white elephiint.
This proved a mosit.unprofitable venture, for the imposition was only
too apparent. The animal thus exhibited bore no comparison either
in size or color to Chin Chang, the former being dark, while Chin
Chang was a beautiful and extremely light elephant, and besides being
very large was the most docile and best trained animal that perhaps
ever performed in public. But more than this. Chin Chang was a
genuine, so-called, white elephant, and had been for years the prop-
erty of the Emir of India, who had kept it in a stable filled with bar-
baric splendors, until he presented it with much ceremony, as a white
elephant, to Alexander II., while the animal exhibited as a white ole-
phant in this country could hardly be called a fair specimen of the
species, and certainly could not rank above the commonest kind.
HUNTING THE ELEPHANT.
Although there is scarcely a peceptible difference in the adaptabil-
ity and temperament of the African and Asiatic species, each being
easily trained and made domestic, yet there is a wide variance in the
uses to which they are put, which has given rise to the belief that the
Asiatic is more tractable than the African elephant, or that it is
quicker to learn, if not more sagacious, a belief that is without foun-
dation in fact.
In India and Ceylon, where elephants are more commonly employed
as work animals, the natives regard them exactly as we do horses.
Men are employed to catch elephants and train them, a service which
is almost as common as the roundmg up of cattle for branding, and these
animals constitute almost the sole reliance of certain classes who build
houses, clear forests, and haul great loads, a service to which the
elephant is quick to adapt himself. This makes him a domestic ani-
mal, and he takes the place of the horse with wonderful resignation
and faithfulness.
In Africa we never see the elephant in service, not because he is
less reliable than his Asiatic brother, but entirely because the Afri-
THE WORLD ASHORE.
563
«ns are never a laboring people, and chiefly because they are natural
hunter., „ubs«t,ng f,„n, day to day by the chase. Ma^ of t^e
.r,l,™ have large herds of cattle, which they are How to i."'hter
even ■„ t,„>cs„f food distress, because cattle constitute the aS
measure of wealth ; and even though they may <ro „„k,.,l th
„ever,hc,c,s fuM o, the pride which%a„„t: Sfl 1 1', '^ '';;'
of >vc.alth. Every tribe in Africa regar.ls the cl. n,t as law ul nrey^
he flesh wherc,,f they cat, while the ivory is gathered to tvlZub
Ihe A abs for eahcoes, beads, gew-gaws, etc. ; c^nscjuently ,hey nl r
make the least atten.pt to domesticate this useful animal
Hunting the elephant may be classed very properly amon^ the roval
.p,.r,s, because, though the largest of beasts, it is ,dso the most cul
nmg, and a dangerous quarry at all times. A mals flee before
. a„, and he therefore possesses an advantage which gives him a ruler!
sup, so to speak, over all. But the n,an who reUes entirely upon
th,.p,.mt of superiority, and nndces his attacks on the elephant "rth
.mputnty, w,ll most likely be killed before he wins any great rep 1-
t.on as an elephant hunter. So naturally docile is thij animal tha a
person may approach within a few yards without exciting itT elrs or
•luger; but when he once attacks he finds that a very fi°end of ve"
£":;: :s t;r. ''""' '-''"' " -^ -^ " '"-- ^—
CAPTURING THE ELEPHANT.
There are two modes of capturing the Asiatic elephant, each of a
fanly gentle character, since rough tneans would either result in the
una s probable death or injuty. or the embitterment of its ,atire
0 tl at ,t would always be dangerous. One of these modes is very
imt ;', ''."^f % •■>'•' " previously prepared pound, made of heavy
^rainla':'efe';.''!rr''"''"'^ '■■""''• ""«"'"">■" "■- i-'"--^ ^
aided L^f®- "'^^""'''■'- "f ™l>ich there are usually several,
"^ h enter into the spirit of their duties with animation and ennnip..
Zyt^T:^'"' ^:r"' " ""■» """« e'»P'>'"'t they advance car^:
Wy toward him, ridden by their drivers, called mahouls, to whom
tko m ammals are perfectly i„di«er,nt so long as they are oL the b,cfc
561
■,*«W«y,wi!4«t.X;
THE vrosi.t) ASHOUIS,
iet
ot one of the,,, k.nd. Tl,„ malo i,, 8„„„ „ttr„ctc,l t„ the female, whieh,
,m sooner do thoy ,.p,„.„„ch tlm„ they heRi,, ,„ h.vish on l,i„. , ,„ „,!'
.ffccMonnto carcseH, twining their trunk., about hW lo^.s and rub" n.
I. ™ eh,,ely , at l,„ feels ee.tatie under their feunnine inttue, cl°
Kcn,g,„ haiMuly engaged, the male take» no noliee of the mahout'
-vho now leave. h,s perch on the fen.ale', neck and, „li,Iin. down
ovc. hor runip, he »oo„ alta..l,e,, ropen to the e„ornK,„, elephant, and
...akes then, al,o f„,t to neighboring trees. Should this akctiom e
.m.etn,g occur ,n a plain, the sagacious koon.kies urge their victim
tewa d ho nearest tree, that are .,tr„„g enough for the ,,urp„,„ now
»o„„ to be employed. When the binding is t .us completed the female!
move away,,, a cruelly indifferent n.anner. and leave their inveigled
wiKl mute to his own resources. "^ioicu
Finding himself deserted and bound, he becomes fairly frenzied
v.th rage and struggles with desperate cneriry to break his bonds
n these furious efforts the elephant di.splayf a flexulLy of Idy
t at IS qu.te astonishing, and at utter variance with his clumsy aspect
He rolls on the ground, p.tches, turns somersaults, and rends the ai^
with p.ercmg screams of rage. Again, he will rise and butt the trees
0 which he ,s bound with all his energy, trying to break them down
.hng HI this he again tumbles, sits on his haunches, then turns over
c sometmies s andson his head, with hind-legs elevated, straining
111 desperate might to jvirt the thon«rs. ^
Formerly animals captured in tliis way were allowed to remain
nd until they were reduced by hunger and exhaustion to sub"!
ton, but the growing scarcity of elephants has caused the hunter to
t. at them more carefully. Frequently, when long confined, the ani-
m Is would injure their legs beyond recovery, and occasionllly they
died from exhaustion. Now the treatment is more humane. After
captive passes through his first paroxysms he is released and taken
Wpea specially prepared; in doing this the koomkies are indis-
pensable, for It IS they that lead the captive away from the scene of
his struggles and guide him into the pen.
So thoroughly do the trained female elephants enter into the sport
of aptunng males, that it is related by several naturalists, who claim
we tTnt^frr ? 'T]V '^'' ' '"■'*•"" '^""'"^>^' «" «"« °««^'-i«n»
went into the forest, wholly unattended, and fb^ie nr^-re-^ - fr-
male which she tied to a tree by means of some ropes which she car-
ned for the purpose. If this story is true it is a striking demonstra-
r ,
^
566
SEA AND LAND.
tion of elephantine reason, and is only paralledby another equally in-
telligent action of a working elephant, which Wood relates: «'The
circumstances were these: Several elephants were engaged in the
construction of a large log house, their duties being to carry the hewn
logs and adjust them in place, which act alone requires a wonderful
exhibition of instinct Occasionally the logs would be improperly
placed, in which cases the elephant so offending, was made to do his
work over. At length, when the building was about half raised one
of the animals was observed to be shirking, and as he stood up
close against the logs he had laid, no amount of ordering to resiiine
his labors had any effect, for he continued to stand immovuhle.
Finally, by a vigorous use of pikes, he was driven away, when the
cause of his obstinacy was immediately apparent. The ehphaiit
had performed his work improperly, and, knowing that he would have
to do it over when the defects were discovered, he adopted this ex-
pedient of hiding the imperfect work by covering it with his body.
In further proof of this I have only to add that the moment he was
forced to expose the misplaced logs, without further orders he turned
at once to relay them right."
HUNTING THE AFRICAN ELEPHANT.
Since the elephant is never used as a beast of burden in Africa, no
efforts are ever made to take it alive, the natives being temi)tcd to
hunt it purely for its flesh and ivory, the latter being an article of
great value and applied to a great variety of purp^aes. Formerly
elephants were comparatively plentiful throughout that extensive
range of country lying between the Soudan and Cape Colony. Its
iruthless destruction by adventurers and Arabs, armed with repeating
rifles and other modern enginery, has so far diminished the munber
that comparatively few are now seen save in the vicinity of the lakes
of Central Africa. Although abundant in these localities it is not
often seen by casual travelers, owing to its great vigilance, and the
wonderful power it possesses of moving through the entangled forests
with a tread as noiseless as that of the feline species. In spite of its
enormous dimensions, it is one of the most diflScult animnls to dis-
cover that roams the forests. A herd of elephants eight and ten fict
in height, may stand within a few yards of a hunter without being
detected by him, even though he should be aware of their presence^
The only sure means of ascertaining the proximity of elephants is by
listening for one S(^und which they are continually giving forth, and
THE WORLD ASHORE.
567
Which they are unable to control. This peculiar noise is caused by
the rnovement of the large amount of water which is always kept
stored m their stomachs, and which sloshes with every respiration,
producing a gurgling sound somewhat resembling that of water
escaping from a bottle, and is audible at some distance
There are several different ways of hunting the African elephant
some o which I will briefly describe: The wlite hunters" who v"u
Afnca for sport usually take to the open country on h(,rse-back, and
rush on to the colossal game by sheer speed, trusting to their horses
for escape ,n case the wounded elephant charges. This was Cum-
mnigs favorite mode, and he was one of the most successful hunters
that h^vs ever penetrated African jungles. Baker, Andersson ...d sev-
eral other prominent travelers, who have been great elephant hunters,
gave their preference to night shooting from smal. excavations in the
earth, in which they would lie concealed beside some favorite drink-
ing place and choot the elephants as they approached for water. This
mode IS somewhat hazardous and many n ow escapes from wounded
elephantsservetomakemorethrillingthein«.restingnarrativesofthese
great travelers, some of which I will relate in subsequent pages.
THE BRAVE HUNTES8 OF AFRICA.
The ^an tribes Of Africa, and ih^ Ka^vs oi South Africa, take
even more uesperato chances than white hunters, for they pursue ele-
phants with no other weapon than the assegais and spear, and on
foot. To approach the animal, which is so fierce and terrible when
wounded, and drive a spear into its side, requires a degree of courage
whjch very few civilized persons possess, yet the unlettered barbarians
so httle regard the danger thus incurred that they seem to find de-
light in tempting fate, for they not only attack the lordly elephant
by hurhng assagais at him, but rush upon him in the most reckless
manner, trusting to their nimble limbs to escape the mad thrashes of
the animal's trunk.
The death of a large elephant is an event for intense concrratula-
tion among the Kaffirs, who are thus provided with a liberal supply
of food. Almost every portion of the animal is used by them, whose
strong jaws are equal to any emergency of tough meat, while their
stomachs do not become offended at the offer of the vilest portions.
xiiUoea, It seems to be a rule among savages, that every part of an
animal that is most repulsive to civilized tastes, is considered by them
« luxury, in many cases too delicious to be spoiled by cook-
568
SEA AND LAND.
lii
ing
The flesh of the elephant is sometimes dried into what the Kaf-
firs call biltongue, which is only another name for jerked meat, while
the fat is rendered out and the oil used for greasing the bodies of the
natives, who do not consider themselves dressed unless they are copi-
ously anointed with grease. To such an extent is this greasing of
the body carried for ornamentation of person that butter, of which
the KaflSrs and other tribes make vast quantities, is never used for
any other purpose ; eating it having never occurred to them.
KAFFIR HUNTERS.
Beneath the hard epidermis of the elephant is a thin skin, easily
separable from the outer cuticle, which the mitives make into most
serviceable vessels for holding water and plantain wine.
CRUEL RiiiANS OF DE8TR0YINQ THE ELEPHANT.
The killing of elephants, which seem to possess a human intelli-
gence, and a docility incompatible with their strength and wild hab-
its, misrht be called cruel under anv circumstances, but there are
some methods of destroying the noble brute, compared with which
the shooting of them appears humane.
THE WORLD ASHORE.
569
The Somali hunters, whoare tempted solely by the ivory which may
be obtained, kill the eiephr i„ a shockingly atrocious manner
though it involves no little ' k of person. Having discovered the
elephant reposing, the Somalian contrives to crawl upon his sleeping
victim, and with a sharp sword severs the principle tendon in \U
hind leg. The animal, not realizing at first the character of its wound,
and maddened with pain, rises and throws itself about, but is unable
to move from the spot. Here the poor beast is allowed to remain
until hunger and thirst completes the work which was begun by the
hunter; after several days putrefaction sets in upon the ''carcass, so
that the tusks may be easily drawn from the skull.
Another cruel mode of destroying the elephant is by means of pit-
falls, in the center of which is placed a strong stake for the animal
to impale itself on. These pitfalls are about twelve feet deep, and
are dug tapering downward, so that if there is no stake in the center,
as is sometimes the case, or if it prove defective, the fallen animal
has its feet so forced together that it is helpless even to struggle, but
must remain in agonizing pain until its tormentors see fit to destroy
it. In case the elephant falls upon the sharp-pointed upright stake,
his sufferings are still more terrible, as we may imagine, and thus im-
paled he sometimes spends two or more days before death comes to
his relief.
On account of the extraordinary sagaciousness of the old elephants
these pitfalls do not cause so great a number of deaths as might be
expected, for, taught to be cautious by the many ad ventures "which
have befallen him, the old leader precedes the herd on their way to
drink, along which path the pitfalls are dug and carefully concealed
by a covenng of dried sticks and leaves. As he moves along ahead,
he keeps his trunk close to the ground and feels his way step by step,
so that he is very certain to detect the snare laid for his species!
Having discovered the pitfall, he stops until the others have come up,
when he communicates his find to each member of his herd and then
falls to and uncovers it completely.
The Abyssinians pursue the elephant with lon<r spears and kill it
with little less cruelty than do the Soumali tribesr They hunt always
in couples and on horseback. When an animal is discovered they
approach, and bo enrage it, by tantalizing spear thrusts, that the
elephant charges furiously after one of the hunters, who dashes off,
keeping only far enough ahead to lure the quarry on in an expectation
i^fl
570
SUA Ain> LAin>*
of Roon catching him. While the elephant is thus in hot pursuit of
the first hunter, the second one puts spurs to his horse and gallops up
behind until he approaches near enough to deliver his thrust; he now
drii^es his broad, steel-bladed spear into the animal at a point a few
inches below the root of the tail, and pushes it so far in that the elp-
phant's lungs are pierced. He now gallops away as the animal turns,
leaving his spear sticking in the wound, which is sometimes eight or
ten feet deep. The elephant has received his death- wound, and seems
to understand that he can do no more, for, instead of charging on,
he stops and stands still until his strength has departed from internal
bleeding, and falls, at length, dead. So great is his vitality, how-
ever, that he will survive even such desperate wounds for several
hours, but his rage is given over to a settled melancholy, and to see
the poor beast standikig so still, quivering with agony, while great
tears roll down continually from his pity-inspiring eyes, is to look
upon a picture that will melt the most callous heart.
Another method, rather commonly employed in Africa, to destroy
elephants, is by driving large herds of such animals from the open
country into jungles, where the larger forest trees have already l)een
manned by several natives concealed in the branches, and armed with
enormous lance-heads several feet in length, with a short handle,
weighted with a heavy lump of hardened clay mixed with chopped
straw. "When the elephants are disturbed by the beaters, they gen-
erally retire to the jungle, and will congregate beneath the shade of
the largest trees, from the branches of which the deadly spears are
dropped perpendicularly by the concealed hunters. A spear-head of
three feet in length thus dropped between the shoulders will inflict a
fatal wound, as the short, weighted handle is struck by the dense and
tangled branches as the animal rushes forward, and the blade is,
therefore, in constant motion, cutting terrible gashes in the vitals of
the elephant
AN ELEPHANT HUNT.
Thomas Bains, in his ♦* Explorations in Southwest Africa," thus
describes his first elephant hunt: • • • «« "We halted about eight
and one-third miles of travel north by west, and Chapman, going
down to the olei (water basin or gully) a quarter of a mile farther,
fo"nd himself face to face with an elei^hant- with nothing" but a charsfe
of Bhiall shot in his gun. He returned at once for his rifle, and put-
ting away my sketch half-dry, I took up mine. • • • Chapman,
iu8 in hot pursuit of
tiorse and gallops up
r his thrust; he now
mal at a point a few
0 far in that the elf-
as the animal turns,
i sometimes eight or
h- wound, and seems
jad of charging on,
parted from internal
is his vitality, how-
wounds for several
lancholy, and to see
agony, while great
ng eyes, is to look
irt.
1 Africa, to destroy
mals from the open
8 have already heen
ties, and armed with
nth a short handle,
lixed with chopped
»e beaters, they gen-
eneath the shade of
e deadly spears are
i. A spear-head of
oulders will inflict a
ick by the dense and
d, and the blade is,
tshes in the vitals of
hwest Africa," thus
''e halted about eight
nd Chapman, going
er of a mile farther,
Qothing but a charge
)r his rifle, and put-
• • • Chapman,
THE WORLD ASaoBfi.
571
R ting advance, and as he descended intr the next valley I
oaying of the dogs. I came forward double^uick,
572
SEA AND LAND.
hoping that the elephant might come out my way, and give mo a
chance as well, but as I cleared the bush, I saw before me an open
hollow, a very gem of the wilderness, with a broad olei in the center,
and beyond it the huge broadside of the beast making off among the
crackling bushes, while Chapman was trying to reload his rifle, and
the rest of the people were gathering themselves up after their dis-
persion by the charge.
«« * • * The elephant, I learned, on entering the hollow, was
met by another coming, all unconscious of the chase, to refresh him-
self at the water, and Chapman, keeping back the people as much us
possible, was obliged to fire at the second across the olei at between
one and two hundred yards distance, although the ivory of the first,
notwithstanding a broken tuskJ^ seemed to be forty pounds heavier
than that o* the intruder. At\he second gun, the people had run
past him and exposed themselves to a furious charge, Bill, after fir-
ino- his shot, escaping with marvelous activity, but proving in the
subsequent chase that he could run as fast after an elephant as he
could away from him — following (so says report) almost between the
legs of the beast, and firing with a boldness which, when assisted by
skill in the use of his weapon, will make him a successful hunter.
«« Returning towards the olei, the bushman pointed suddenly to
some object, and handed Chapman's gun to him to shoot it ; but an-
other glance showed it to be the carcass of the elephant, lying within
a few hundred yards of the spot where he had been first fired at.
" Traversing a length of hill and dale, which now seemed weari-
some enough, we passed the olei, scarcely disturbing the wild fowl on
its placid surface, and a few hundred yards beyond came in sight
of the gigantic carcass looming like a boulder above the bush. Of
course I have seen elephants, but it has always been at my home, and
notintheirs, and neither picture nor well-groomed, black-skinned show
specimen from India I had ever seen had quite prepared me to stand,
for the first time, without a sensation of awe and wonder beside the
mighty African, fallen in all his native grandeur in his domain."
This animal was 10 feet 9 inches in height, an uncommonly large
one, though Bains claims to have killed one afterwards that measured
11 feet S 1-2 inches, which is considerably taller than Jumbo was.
Of his many hair-breadth escapes from wild animals in the game
regions of Africa, Andersson relates the following :
THE WORLD ASHORE.
573
♦« On another occasion, when the night was dark, I crept to wit'ain
a short distance of seven bull-elephants, and was endeavoring to pick
out the largest, when I was startled by a peculiar rumbling noise
close behind me. Springing to my feet I perceived, to my surprise
and alarm, a semi-circle of female elephants with their calves, bearing
down upon me. My position was critical, being between two fires, so
to say, and I had no other choice than either to plunge into the pool
which could only be crossed by swimming, in the face of the male
elephants, or to break through the ranks of the females. I adopted
the latter alternative, but first fired at the nearest of the seven bulls •
and then, without a moment's delay, I rushed on the more open
ranks of the female phalanx, uttering at the same time k.ud shouts
My cries caused a momentary panic an.ongst the animals, of wh'ch I
took advantage, and slipped out between them, dischaigin.r my sec-
ond barrel into the shoulder of the nearest as I passed^er No
sooner, however, had I effected my escape, than the whole herd made
a simultaneous rush at me, and trumpeted so shrilly as to cause ^very
man at camp, as I learned afterwards, to start out of his sleep For-
tunately, the darkness prevented the beasts from followin«- me • "ind
the jungle being close, I was soon in safety. In my precipitate fli<.bt
however I severely lacerated my feet; for, when stalking the ele-
" When, after awhile, I ventured out of my place of concealment,
1 found everthing quiet ; only one solitary elephant remained. Hav-
ing approached within a short distance, I could distinctly see him
avmg water onto his sides with his trunk. I immediately suspected
hat he belonged to the herd of seven bulls, and was the one that I
bad hied at. Seating myself right across his path, I quietly watched
his proceedings. After a time I saw him, I thought, move off in an
opposite direction. But I was mistaken ; for in an instant his tower-
ing form loomed above me. It was too late to get out of his way •
so, quickly raising myself on one knee, I took a steady aim at his
foreleg. On receiving the ball he uttered the most plaintive cry,
and rushing past me, disappeared in .he neighboring forest. The
next aftern jon he was discovered dead within rifle-shot of the wHter,
I nad been a successful night, for a fine female elephant had also
fallen to my other shot."
574
THE WORLD ASHORE.
S75
A THRILLINO ADVENTURE. TCRMINATmo IN A MIRAOLE.
The »am<, author tells another stil; more w„nderf„l story than the
one JUS related of how he escaped death f,.„,„ a woundo/ " ,l„t
by the ,„,erpos,tK,„ of an event httio short of ,. nnracle. He w . ^
"Notw-thstanding „y „„.ious desire to reach the Ngami lake del
le mmed before finally leaving Kobis, to devote one „.ore d,ty or
rather, ,„ght, to the destruetio,, of the denizens of the forlt 8^;
he adventure nearly terminated fatally, an.l the night of the 1.5th of
Julywll everbe re.neu.bered by me as one of the n.ost eventful
epochs of my life for, in the course of it, I was three severalt me
,n the very jaws ef death, and only escaped destruction by a m rS
"From the constant persecution to which the larger gL,e had „i
late been subjec ed at Kobis, it had become not only s^arc:, but wary
and hearmg that elephants and rhinoceri still c.nthmed to resit to
Abeghan I forthwith proceeded there on the night in question
Somewhat .ncautiously I took up my posi.ion-alo.re, as u'ual- .m
a ».„w neck of laud dividing two small pools ; the place on eith™
s.de„f my skarm-asmall hiding-place madeot stones- being only
.ufficent foralarge animal to stand between me and the wat!r I
.m provided w,th a blanket and two or three spare gun,
"It was one of those magnificent tropical moonlight nights when
a .,,descr.bably soft and enchanting light is shed ovel- the slumbr'n:
lands ape, the moon was s. bright and cleanhat I could discern even
a small animal at a considerable distance.
liu,? 'f rl ""■"P''""' ">y "'■■•angeraents when a noise that I can
ke ly to the passage of a train of artillery, broke the stillness of
e a,r , it evidently came from the direction of one of the numerous
r"ld'b'' ™"" "•"'^' '"''"'' '" •'"> -"-•• ""•! I ™«X '•
ZiT v' ^r''T,TT'" """"'S"" ''"™ «"--d the kalakari.
2^Z7tl P""'"";'; "•»"■ '»y reeumbent posture, I fixed my eye.
« adily on the part of the bush whence the strange sounds proceeded •
ut for some time I was unable to make out the cause. All at „„ce'
owever, the mystery was explained b • the appearance of m imnl'e'
sight to behold so many huge creatures approaching with . fr-c
SLr"r""° "'". ^'^'"'^ ^'^P- ''"' --what elevated'
rlofS J ^ ' mirty night-air, gave an increased appelr-
«»W Of bulk «nd mightiness to their naturally giant structuiee.
576
8EA AND LAND.
«* Crouching down as low us possible in the skarm, I waited with
beating heart and reu'^y ritle the approach of the loading mule who,
unconscious of peril, was nuiking straight for my hiding-plucc. The
position of his body, however, was unfavorable for a shot; uiid,
knowing from experience that I had little more than u chanto of
obtaining more than a single good one, I waited for an opportunity to
fire at his shoulder, which, as before said, is i)referable to any other
part when shooting at night. But this ;:hauce, unfortunately, was not
offered till his enormous bulk towered above my head. The couse-
MIRACOLOOS ESCAPE FROM A MAD ELEPHANT.
quence was that, while in the act of raising my gun over the skaim,
my body caught his eye, and before I could place the piece to my
shoulder, he swung himself round and, with trunk elevated and oars
spread, desperately charged me. It was now too late too think of
flight, much less slaying the savage beast. My own life was in im-
minent jeopardy ; and seeing that, if I remained partially erect, he
would inevitably seize me with bis proboscis, T threw myself on my
back with some violence ; in which position, and without shouldering
the rifle, I tired upwards at random towards his che?t, uttering at the
THE WORLD A8HORK.
577
yame time the mot-t piercing shoutji iintl cries. Tlie chanjre of posi-
ti')ii, in all huniiui proi^ahility, naved my life; for, at the Hame in-
stant, tlie trunl< of tlio enraged animal descended precisely on the spot
where I had been previously crouched, sweeping away the stones
(niiiny of a large size) that formed the fore part of my skarm, like
HO many pehblcs. In another moment his broad fore-feet passed di-
ft'ctly over my face.
"I now expected nothing short of lieing crushed to death. But
imagine my relief when, instead of renewing tin; charge, he swerved
to the left, and moved off with considerable rapidity, while I, most
Iifipi)ily, received no other injuries than a few bruises, occasioned
by the falling of the stones. Under Providence I attributed my
extraordinary escape to the confusion of the animal caused by the
wound I had inflicted on him, and to the cries elicited from me when
in my utmost need."
8INQULAR ATTACHMENT OF A BABY ELEPHANT.
W. C. Harris, in a work describing his adventures, under the title
of '« Wild Sports in Southern Africa," gives several interesting ac-
counts of battles with wild animals in which he was a participant.
After killing several from out a herd of fully three hundred, as he
declares, Mr. Harris tells the following story of the queer antics of a
baby elephant, whose mother he had slain:
•' Not an elephant was to be seen on the ground tiiat was yesterday
teeming with them ; but on reaching the glen which had been the
scene of our exploits during the early part of the action, a calf, about
three and one-half feet high, walked forth from a bush, and saluted
us with mournful, piping notes. We had observed the unhappy little
wretch hovering about its mother after she fell, and having probably
been unable to overtake the herd, it had passed a dreary night in the •
woods. Entwining its little proboscis almut our legs, thesagacious
creature, after demonstrating its delight at our arrival by a thousand
ungainly antics, accompanied the party to the body of its dam, which,
swollen to an enormous size, was surrounded by an inquest of vul-
tures. Seated in gaunt array, with their shouldeis shrugged, these
loathsome fowls were awaiting its decomposition with forced resigna-
tion, the tough hide having detied all the efforts of their beaks, with
Vrhicli the eyes and softer parts had been vigorously assailed. The
conduct of the calf novv became quite affectionate and elicited the
sympathy of every one. It ran round its mot' er's corpse, with
378
I
gjsawfs'---'-*-
578
eEA AND LAND.
touching dei •**»■ ttons of grief, piping sorrowfully, aud vainly
atteinf»^lr»g \i} ise »er with its tiny trunk. I confess tlmt I had felt
compun. uoDs in colli, ittiug the murder the day before, aud now half
ruwylvtH^ never to ansist in another."
LANQUAOE AND PEOULiARITIES OF ELEPHANTS.
Of the- many huudreds of . okn published ou the largo game of In-
dia aud A fi'i'-n there was one issued in I ^78 that immediately recuvcd
the greatest atui Uou, from the fact thai ' s author, G. P. Sanderson,
though an Euglisbman, had boon for twenty years an officer iu climgo
of the " Goveruraeut elephant catching establishment in Mysore."
The title of this standard work is, " Thirteen Years Among the Wild
Beasts of India," which clearly iudicatcs its character. Mr. Siinder-
Bon gives to the elephaut the greatest atteutiou, and his observations
are particulary interesting, because often original. In treating of
the habits of the elephant, he adds the following :
♦' In a herd of elephants the females with their calves form tlie ad-
vanced guard, whiM the tuskers follow leisurely behind ; though, if
terrified and put to flight, the order is reversed, the mothors and
calves falling behind, as the unencumbered tuskers have no oiio to
ie to but themselves. I have never known of a tusker undertaking to
«over the retreat of a herd. A herd is invariably led by a foniale,
never a male, and the females with young ones are at all times dun-
o-erous if intruded upon. The necessity for the convenience of the
mothers of the herd regulating its movements is evident, as they must
accommodate the length and time of their marches, aud the localities
in which they rest and feed at different hours, to the requirements of
their young ones.
♦'Elephants make use of a great variety of sounds in communicat-
ing with each other, and in expressing their wants and feelings. Some
are uttered by the trunk, some by the throat. The conjectures iu
which either means of expression is employed cannot be strvtly clas-
sified, as fear, pleasure, want, and other emotions are suui«ume"
indicated by the trunk, sometimes by the throat. An elev* . x>u
ing upon an assailant trumpets shrilly with fury, but if enraged by
wounds or other causes, and brooding by itself, it expresses its anger
by a continual hoarse grumbling from the throat. Fear is siniiluily
ex'iressed in a i^= '"., br.'issy trumpet, or by a roar from the lungs.
Pleasure by a r ,i* m.>d -v. .v squeaking through the trunk, or an al-
most inaudible pi^r-r g tiound fn r the throat. A peculiar sound is
TUE WOULD ASUOBE.
S7«
nuMle U80 of by c o,>h«nt, to exprcs, ,1 ,ike or appr.-,hc. :.. . and .t
..heady „,cert,d,.cd, ,„.d tl.o „„i,„„|, „ ,.,, ,„ jeter .„™ ruder "
l.roducod by rapping tl.o end of tl„- tru.ik mn,>W „n ,h„ j
eurrent of air, hitherto retained, be,,,,'!:;; ., e ' hCrb\:
trunk, m from a valve, at the moment of impact The Z I /
re-e,n^.les that of a la,se sheet of tin being dl.ul.led "' """"
" When a e„lf i, born the he,d remain, with the mother two dav,-
.he calf ,» the,, capable of walking. Even at thi« tende I\tb !
re „„ ene,.„„,ra„ee to the herd', „,oven,e„t„ the ym, 2 e i ,t
h,ll» «.,J c>-o» rner,, a»,i,ted by their dan,,. I„ ,wim ,d"! '„?"
young calva, are .upported by their m„the,-,> trunk, ,,7 -.111 -^
.™.t of them When they are a few month, old they ,'e,b.l':
A, „ mother,- shoulder,, helping themselves by holding o,° wih
their legs, or they swim alone. "oiuing on with
"Twiee round an elephant', leg is hi, height, within one or
two nche,, more frequently it is exactly so. The . -e to whiri th
,ve IS, as must ever be the ease with dLi^en, of thf j^.^t nt;!
.". The ge„e,„l opinion of experienced native, i, that it attain,
UOyear, in exceptional case,, but more generally to about 80y a,
lh„v,ew however ,s bused on observations of elephant, in eanti' '
;, " ;;if : ■« ^"™™';l«' """-i'i"- of a i,atu,...,nife th e eptmt"
nni^t attain u greater ime than when fonfin«H m yyimm
that it reaches at least ^50 years '' ^ "^'" "^""'"" '^
8TRAN0E DISAPPEARANCE OF ELEPHANTS AFTER DEATH
One Of the n,o-st remarkable fact, in connection wXelephants
h extre,ne rar.ty of any remains of dead ones being fou. dTn tl e
u gles. This circumstance is so marked as to have gfven rise to the
"ot.on among the Sholagas of the Billic.,unaan hills fhnfi I .
-r" iTonrhar r^'" '"-^'"" •'■™^^' <> "-"by ~ . t oi"
thei„„„,. ,„,^„" '! ' ?'''^ ''"tl''»™ -ever met any one among
'".isr'B^'.er^oMl.rr.'r'''''''/'''''''''"' """"t^''^- ^l-o had ,eena
»euM survive for some T ! '' '"""' ^'""''' """^ "="*'' ""O '"^ks
^uivive fo, some t.u,e, yet not a single pair of ivories has ever,
58<)
THE WOBLD ASHOKE.
581
a. fa a. I know, been found in the Mysore jungles during the tin.e 1
have known them. A European gentlenmn, who, for thirty-six year,
nithout internnssion, had been living in the jungle, aseending to thJ
siumniis of inounta.ns in the pn.seeution of the tri<ron,etrical survey
and penetrating yalleys in traeing roads and opening means of con.'
„n„„cat.on_one, too, who has made the habits of the wild elephant
a subject of constant study and observation -has often expressed to
me h.s aston.shment that, after seeing many thousands of Iivin<. ele-
phants ,n all possible situations, he had never yet found a sinHc" kel-
eton of one, except of those that had fallen by the rifle. It may be
supposed that ,n thick forests vultures do not attract attention to
then- carcasses, and mon,so<,n rains and jungle fires soon dis,>ose of
hem fetdl, one would think that some carcasses, at least, would be
found, whereas they never are; and though it is certain the animals
(lie, I know of no reasonable explanation of what becomes of them."
w 1. !_ " ^"^ ELEPHANT A SAGACIOUS ANIMAL?
We have been led to believe, by the wonderful stories told of its
cunning intuition, that the elephant is the most sagacious of beasts,
but Mr. Sanderson takes issue with this idea, and declares that there
.8 no real reason for entertaining such a belief. Referring to this
popular supposition, he says; "
in 'J^w'lT TfT "'T""-"' ."'" "'•"*'"" •""'""•''■•' "'°'« "'temgc,„.e
n t, w,ld state th.„ other ,„,n„als. Tl.ougl, ,,o,,c».sed of „ p,.„bo»ci,
h^ ., cap,... e o, g..„.d,„g it ug„i„»t »ud. dange... it readily falls
leaver. Is fellows ...ake „o effort to assist the fallen one, as they
...'ht easily do by kieking in the earth a.ound the pit, I,„t flee in
e,To,- It common y happens that a young elephant fails into a pit,
ear which he mother will ren.ain nntil the hnnters con.e, witho.
'Mil he,, Th.s ,s, I have no doubt, more difficult of hclijf to most
people han ,f they were told that the .nother supplied it with ,nass
.ought water in her trunk, or filled up the pit will, fagots a J Zl
end usurcs wh.ch ..o other wild a..in.als eould he got to enter a,.d
-.ngle ones a.-e caught l,y their hind-legs l.„in„ tied toother W .""„
uiKJtn cover o^' " ' i- - -c . , . ^. .:: ^ ^ i -^. ..itn
to effect th
couple of tame elephants. Elephants which ha
eir escape ar<^ caught again without troubl
once does not bring tl
jihaiit when I say it
e ; even e
Pl)en
xperi-
lou) wisdom. I do not think I traduce the ele-
.y It IS, in many things, a stupid animal,
582
^aSMtel
THE WORLD ASHORE.
583
" T have seen the cream of trained elephants at work in the catch-
ing establishments in Mysore and Bengal ; I have managed them my-
self, under all circumstances, and I can say that I have never seen one
show any aptitude in dealing, undirected, with an unforseen emer-
gency. I have a young riding-elephant at present, which is often my
onlyhuntmg companion, that kneels, trumpets, hands up any thin-
from the ground, raises her trunk to break a branch, or passes under
one n. sdence, stops, backs and does other things at understooc^ hints
as I sit on her pad; but no uninitiated looker-on would perceive that
any uitimation of what is required passes between us.
THE MUST, OR MAD ELEPHANTS.
" So much for the intelligence of the elephant. Let us now con-
sider Its temperament in captivity. I think all who have had to deal
with elephants will agree in saying that their good qualities cannot be
exaggerated, and that their vices are few, and only occur in excep-
tional animals. The not uncommon idea that elephants are treacher-
ous and retentive of an injury is a groundless one. Male elephants
air subject to periodical fits of must (mad) supposed to be of a sexual
nature, of the approach of which, however, due warning is given, and
during the continuance of which care is necessary in dealii^r with
them, as they are quite irresponsible for their actions. But\t all
other times the male elephant is generally perfectly safe, rarely sud-
denly changeable in temper. Female elephants are, at all times, the
most perfect tempered creatures in the world.
-Much misapprehension prevails regarding the uses and power of
^.e elephant s trunk This organ is chiefly used by the animal to
piocure Its food, and to convey it, and water, to its mouth; also, to
wain It of danger by the sense of smell and touch. It is a delicate
and sensitive organ, never used for rough work. The idea that he
can use ,t for any purpose, from picking up a needle to dragging a
p.ece of ordnance from a bog is, like many others, founded entirely
on iinagination An elephant might manage the former feat, though
I doubt It, the atter he would not attempt, Elephants engaged In
uc^h work as dragging timber invariably take the rope between their '
teeth ; they never attempt to pull a heavy weight with the trunk. In
earning a light log they hold it in the mouth, as a dog does a stick,
receiving some little assistance in balancing it from thetrunk. Tu.k-
vllhl!?.'''^ T '\" 'f "' '"■ ''"' ''^"^^ ^™'^^"' 1^"^'P«-^' ^"^ -re more
valuable than females for work. An elephant is powerful enough to
584
SEA AND LAND.
I
extriciite a cannon from a difficult situation, but he does it by push-
ing with his head or feet, or in harness — never by lifting or drawing
with his trunk.
•' An elephant rarely uses his trunk for striking other elephants or
man. Newly-caught ones seldom attempt even to seize any one com-
ing within reach of their trunks ; they curl them up and rush at tlio
intruder. Should any accident happen to an elephant's trunk to pre-
vent in conveying water to its mouth, it drinks by wading into deep
water and immersing the mouth in the manner common to most quad-
rupeds."
THE PERILS OF ELEPHANT 8HOOTINQ.
On the authority of the greatest of ancient or modern Nimrods,
Sir Samuel Baker, elephant shooting may be pronounced to be the
most dangerous of all sports if fairly followed for a length of lime.
Many elephants may be killed without the sportsman being in aiiy
peril; but if an infuriated beast does attack, his charge is ono of
supreme danger. This danger, however, has this charm, that though
so great unless steadily and skillfully met, it is within the sportsman's
j)ower, by coolness and good shooting, to end it and the assaihuit's
career instantly by one well-planted ball.
"The wild elephant's attack," says Sanderson,*' is one of the noblest
sights of the chase. A grander animated object than a wild elepliaiit
in full charge can hardly be imagined. The cocked ears and hroatl
forehead present an immense frontage ; the head is held high, with
the trunk curled betwee'n the tusks, to be uncoiled in the moment of
attack ; the massive fore-legs come down with the force ai)d regularity
of ponderous machinery ; and the whole figure is rapidly foreshort-
ened and appears to double in size with each advancing stride. The
trunk being curled and unable to emit any sound, the attack is made
in silence, after the usual premonitory shriek, which adds to its im-
pressiveness. A tiger's charge is an undignified display of arms, legs
and spluttering; the bison rushes blunderingly upon his foe; the
bear's attack is despicable; but the wild elephant's onslaught is as
dignified as it seems overwhelming — and a large tusker's charge,
where he has had sufficient distance to get into full swing, can only
be compared to a steady and rapid advance of an engine on a line of
rail. With ail this the sportsman, who understands his game, know?
that there is a natural timidity in the elephant which often plays liim
tricks at the last moment. It is not difficult to turn or stop him with
THE WOKID ASHORE.
585
aZk. "'"'"■ """ " '"'"'"""' '"*" ^' ™''^ ""•'^^' if '",-.re„e»s the
, ^?/"h'''?l'°l' "' "'""" "* '•"""'• ''"'"""g i" i-decision, no one
,hou d .h„ut „ the„. A charge l,y one or more of them i almost
s.,re to be made ,f they are .suddenly startled m thi« particular Z
;. I have seen •• says Sanderson, '■ and n,y»elf experienced, seve™
n,,tance» of the danger of this. I„ Chittagong, whilst driv „. ^d
amma s mto a stockadeon one occasion, they approached the g„°idW-
in.« of beaters too closely, ,vhen a man, who was behind a smlll bth
shouted at them w.tl„n thirty yards. A female at once charged hto
he n.an fe I and ,v,th the pressure of her foot on his chest Ihe sp^
h,m open k.lln.g h,ra on the spot. Th,s elephant had a very young
calf, and in her solicitude for it she became a perfect fury." ^
THE VENOEFUL ROGUE ELEPHANT
Rogue elephants are occasionally met with which are di,
tn,guishcd by,their fierce temper, and their affecting solitude. These
animals a™ mvarmbly dangerous, and not infrequeT.tly they wayty
™ad, for the pnipose of killing any pei-son who lay chance to pa«
The cause of this singular propensity, which is quite unnatu a toT
phants ,n general, has never been satisfactorily accounted for Z
from wide reading, having no personal experieL I II „e to tte
opnuon that m eveiy case the animal that manifest this u<^y dispo!
».t.o„ ,s ,he victim of some painful disorder, either affectinThU
bran, or racking his body with agony, and he becomes irritble''and
the kdiing of a r,.gue elephant which had destroyed several persons and
neredtrave through the jungle roads sodangerousthat^,o"edared
to iT """IT' T"""' '° '"'■«" P="'^' ""'• "'«■ servants rng.."d
to heut syn-bols and gongs to frighten the beast. ^ "
After describing t;., manner of approach Sanderson says: "When
ergne trumpeted my men were greatly excited, flfre we were
tZ ^ T "'"' *" '»«"-'''^«''- Old Poojarse, who was alway'
ready for dangerous work, now took the lead We pushed thmZh
dangerously thick stuff, where I expected to hearTlIe'e^ „ '"wt
" IT T^ "'°"'*"*' "'""«" '""'« t™ b^rst out on us ■ hut fortu
nate y. we had the wind, und the unconscious monster sLd.'nlj! I
"X thu lacc ihat enemies were at hand "
and hTthnV""" ""' ^I"^' "' him before we could make him out,
and he then only appeared as a dark mass in the young bamboo ani
586
SEA AND LAND
grass in which he was standing. There was, fortunately, a good
breeze blowing, wiiich made sufficient noise amongst the branches to
tjs^'^:m^mss:^
cover our approacli ; but it was impossible to get near enough, even
with this advantage, for the head-shot in such thick stuff. I there*
THE WOULD ASHORK.
r' TA-^T^a^gHSE^
587
foe deCKlwl to pv, „ i|,„ f„,„-l„„c l,el,i„,| the should,.,-, if I c„„|,l
..nly «.ako out how he w,„ standing, but .here w„.s a ditH, , t/r 4
Ihis, as even his feet were hidden in tlu- undergrowth vo tl . .1
we .pooped and h,oUed along the ground, we e-.u^ge:, e le l!'^:
p..s,t,on As luek would have it, however, at this ,m,n,ent I e , le
ns runk to reaeh a bough overhead. I saw his temple and so Led n
tw Ive-bore ,ntend,ng to reserve the four-ounee in case the fl " shot
did not k,ll hu,, , but before I eould draw a si.ht o„ him, h 1^
was again hidden. Fearing that if I delavedany longer ah, nto
w..,d might discover us, I took the fou.-ounee and fli^d at h le
now k„ew his shoulder to be. The report and smoke from Z aZl
OS fo, a, instant after receiving the shot, when with a wild scream
and awful crasll away he went, fortunately not ,u our direct on .
ere was nothing thick enough to shelter us, and we might I , ve U"
'■'tea atte. him The grass and bushes on both sides of his trick
were covered with blood, and my hands, face and gun became sekv
wuh It a, we ran on through the grass. We had only goneTbou t,™
1 mndrcd yar«s when the ICurrabas stopped short. There „' the
elephant standing about twenty-five yards from „s in anTpers,, ce
:iaiongst some grass up to hi.s shoulders f-iein. „s T, /
had taken him about half-way up the Ift s 1™ M I u'"'T'"'™
"■"t ''"- "-• -^ =-^. - b^."/wa,rg:: , g : i;,:! t'h '"z
Mist have stopped through being chokel by th^ bleed ig, aTdh :..•".
.unmng behind him, had faced round to receive us. Is the S
M:..^van,shed, he came a few steps forward with a grunt and „::;„
•tarf- ''^;;'™"y "- "igW to give a novice in elephant-shooting a
le-T nd trmdc """^.S-hmg fr„n, his mouth, covering his chest, fore!
ie„s and trunk. His twinkling eye showed that he meant mischief-
..head was held high, his trunk curled between his tusks a^done
f'let planted boldly in advance re-idv fn,- , r ,'"'"'' """ """
-d n,y g„,i.be.re^s were sXluih f tf oTrnd "ZX^. .!
between his eyes, and dropped h,m dead with the four-bore."
Tl,„ t 1- ""'"'""''^ ™" "VENTURE WITH RLEPHANTS.
Ihe feemgsot a keen sportsman, at his first sight of elephants
m their native wilds, can neither be imagined nor dt.sevibed.'f.n !t
it ■^\
588
88 A AND LAND.
embodies an intensity that none nuiy ever conceive except by actual
experience. Cuniniing was a natural born hunter, and a man of
strong nerve, who rarely grew excited, even in the face of the most
disturbing circumstances ; he had even killed more than one lion, ami
met with many narrow escapes without becoming nervous, yet wiicn
he first viewed a herd of elephants, even afar off, fiom a lofty iiut-
hill, cold chills ran over him, and a sensation of unutterabla dread,
or uneasiness, at least, took complete possession of him. Thoc
most uncomfortable feelings did not long distu'b him, however, for
as the elephants disappeared from sight the eagerness and impetuosity
of the true sportsman overcame every other sensati(m, save that of
a consuming desire to engage with the lordly game.
So much time had been occupied with retiections of an unpleasant
character, not knowing the nature of elephants, that after the animals
had stolen out of sight it was not until the following day that the
herd was again discoverec^. Of the adventure which now occunod
Gumming writes :
*♦ We proceeded silently as might be for a few hundred yards, follow-
ing the guide, when he suddenly ponited, exclaiming, ' Klow I ' and he-
fore us stood the herd of mighty bull elephants, packed together be-
neath a shady grove, about one hundred and fifty yards in advance. I
rode slowly towards them and, as soon as they observed me, they made
a loud rumbling noise and, tossing their trunks, wheeled right about
and made off in one direction, crashing through the forest and leav-
ing a cloud of dust behind them.
" The distance I had come, and the difficulties I had undergone to
behold these elephanto, rose fresh before me. D.ishing my si)urs
into 'Sunday's' ribs, I was very soon much too close in their rear for
safety. The elephants now made an inclination to my left, whereby
I obtained a good view of the ivory. The herd consisted of six bulls;
four of them were full grown, first-rate elephants; the other two
were fine fellows, but had not yet arrived at perfect stature. Of the
four old fellows, two had much finer tusks than the rest, and for ii
few seconds I was undecided which of these two I would follow,
when, suddenly, the one which I fancied had the stoutest tusks broke
from his comrades, and I at once felt convinced that he was the patri-
arch of the herd, and I followed him accordingly.
OHAROED BY THE BULL ELEPHANT.
"Cantering alongside, I was about to fire, when he instantly turned
and, uttering a trumpet so strong and shrill that the earth seemed to
■'^im:i^
■*^Aii&i,
THE WORLD ASHORE.
idred yards, follow-
589
vibrate be,.eath my feet, charged furiously after me for several hun-
dred yards m a direct line, not altering his course in the slightest de-
gree ^"•- the trees of the forest, which he snapped and overthrew like
reeds in his headlong career.
-When he pulled up in his charge I likewise halted; and as he
slowly turned to retreat I let fly at his shoulders, « Sunday' capering
..nd prancing and giving me much trouble. On receiving the ball the
eephant shrugged his shoulder and made off in a free, majestic walk.
This shot brought several of the dogs to my assistance which had
been following the other elephants, and on their coming up and bark-
GUMMING CHARGED BY AN ELEPHANT.
ing another headlong charge was the result, accompanied by the never-
nhen I saluted him with a second bullet in the shoulder, of which he
Id not take the slightest notice. I now determined not to fire again
until I could make a steady shot; but, although the elephant tuined
..peatedly, ^Sunday 'invariably disappointed^me, caperi'ng ^o haUt
was impossihlft fQ fii-o A*. 1^, — fK . , Ti
{ ... .u n., . ,,, .^vr^th, uAusperaied, I became reckless of
n^ danger and springing from the saddle, approached the elephant
undei cover of a tree and gave him a bullet in the side of the head,
I
, \
590
8EA AND LAND.
when, trumpet! no: so shrilly that the forest trembled, he chainrcd
among the dogs, from which he seemed to *ancy that the blow had
come ; after which he took up u i)osition in a grove of thorns, with
his head towards me. I walked up very near, and as ho was in the
act Af charging (being in those days under wrong impressions jis to
the impracticability of bringing down an elephant with a shot in tlio
forehead), stood cooly in his path until he was within fifteen jjaccsof
me, and let drive at the hollow of his forehead, in the vain expecta-
tion that by so doing I should end his career. The shot only served
to increase his fury — an effect which, I had remarked, a shot in the
head invariably produced— and, continuing his charge with inerediljlc
quickness and impetuosity, ho all but tenninated my elephant hunt-
ino' forever. A large party of Bechunas, who had conio up, yelled
out simultaneously. Imagining I was killed, for the elephant was at
one moment ahnost on toy of me. I, however, escaped by my uctiyity
in doubling on him and running up hill as he came charging down,
and by dodging round the bushy trees. As the elephant was chiug.
in*', an enormous thorn ran deep into the sole of my foot, which
caused me severe i)ain, laming me throughout the rest of thecontiicl."
Gumming now mounted his horse, and running alongside the already
sorely wounded monarch, fired no less than fifteen ounce balls into
his shoulder, each shot stimulating the brute to renewed chnrgcs from
which, however, the rider easily escaped. At length, wiih nineteen
large bullets in his vital parts, the elephant retreated to a heavy
thicket where he stood tossing his huge trunk up and down and
wroaning so piteously as to excite compassion in the hunter's breast,
for it was now plain to be seen that there were certain evidences of his
rapidly approaching death, and that no more shooting was necessary
to finish him. The great beast swayed backwards and forwards,
trembling like an aspen leaf, while tears chased down his cheeks until,
with a mTghty lurch, he toppled over, dead. Thus ended the hunt
and thus did Gumming kill his first elephant, while his heart was tilled
with exultation never before or since felt.
A 8AVAQB SCENE.
It was quite late in the evening when the hunt terminated, so that
the natives, who accompanied Gumming, did not begin the work of
cutting up the elephant until the following morning. The Bechuanan
process of butchering is one no less disgusting than it is exciting, pre-
senting a scene which baffles all description. The natives, of which
THE WOKI.I) A8H0RK. i
tl,mo ,.r. nearly a ™«re, divfrt tho„„clvo, „f all covc,.i„s and armed
oaly w,th «,,«as.u. they begin slashing .he body. The rough o„ter-»kin
,« hrst reu,„ved ,„ large sheets, from ,he si,.e whiel, lies „p|„.rmost.
Bo,u=atl, thus outer-skm is u suhcutiele, „hi,.h the natives use fo
„,al<,„g wa er.l,ags, a. it is a very pliable tnembrane, and so tough that
,t » n.>t bable to rupture even fro,,, the ,o„ghest usage. They re-
n,ove th,s inner »k„, with eaution, „,i„g great eare nCt to injure it
With their assagaiH. •'
The flesh is next cut off .n larc^o shootn f,o.„ the ribs, after
which, by the use of hatchets, the rib« are taker, out one by one.
A CLOSE CHARGE AND LUCKY ESCAPE.
»?iinfa^ h, T '^ '"'" ""'" '" ^"""""S "-«-. 'ho ""at dls-
Ce7o7t^ t^TTT"'- Sun-o,n,di„g the bowels are great
tL? "'.f'f'"^'"' ""' Beehuanans prize above everything else
0 felmt S ' Vr"'"? "'"■■-»-'"■■<"' biUongue-dried st,t
0 etc, h.„,t flesh-aud they also eat it with their vegetables. Befo,-e
t » fa ean bo obtained, the bowel, must be .emov^d. To aeeonZ
pllsh this. seve»"«il r»ioM r-^^ n • ^u acoomp-
withthoi^n r' • in>"'ense cavity, now exposed, and
0 ide a frf:;: "": ^^^^^ ^^ i^^^ ^^^' ^->^-^- i-^tio.. to those
us fast as it la cut away. The native.s have a horrid practice
592
«EA AND LAND.
on these occftsions of besmeuring their bodies, from the crown of tho
heaid to tie sole of the foot, with the bhick and ch)tted gore ; atid in
this anointing they usuist one another, each man taking up th(5 till m
both hands, and Horeuding it ovev the hack and Bhoulders of his
friend. Throughout the entire pioceeding un incessant and dcafi-n.
ing chimor of voices is kept up, and violent jostlings and wrest lings
are practiced by every man, all slippery with gore, as ho endeavors to
force his way to the venison through the dense intervening ranks,
while the sharp and ready assagai gleams in every hand. The angry
voices and gory appearances of so many naked savages, comhincd
with their excited and frantic gestures and glistening arms, proscnt
an effect so wild and striking as will produce a thrill of horror
in the bravest European who beholds it.
PERILOUS SITUATION OF AN ELEPHANT HUNTER.
The advantages which trained dogs give in hunting the elf{)liuiit
were strikingly illustrated on on « occasion, when, but for their dis-
tracting running and barking, Gumming would have undoubtedly
fallen a victim to an elephant's rage. The circumstances were peculiarly
appalling. A herd of twelve cow elephants and their calves were dis-
.'overed feeding on the side of a mountain, five hundred yards from
the tirst observer, and the wind being favorable to the animals, they
caught the scent of Gumming and his companions, and plunged IlIo
a dense jungle of wait-a-bit thorns, from which every effort to dis-
lod^e them, l)y shootaig or shouting, was in vain. As a last reeourt<e,
Gumming made his way pauifully into the jungle, reaching the cen-
ter of which, at last, he found himself suddenly upon the elephants.
The dogs then ran in barking, r;hen a general trumpeting took plaic,
followed quickly by a charging and crashing in all directions. Not
knowing the direction from whence the charge was coming, being
unable to see the animals. Gumming beat a hasty retreat until he
could no longer hear them.
Everything having become quiet, and fearful lest he should lose
them, Gumming pushed in again after the elephants, followed by his
companions. They had found an elephant path and continued along
this until crash ! came another charge from the fierce brutes at his
back, accompanied by the most deafening trumpeting. The elephants
ran in upon them from different directions, and in a trice there was
an inextricable confusion of elephants, dogs and/men. As good for-
tune would have it, the barking dogs drew the entire attention of the
THK WORI D ASUOHE.
593
eloi-hanl, which hn„h..d \,y ,he h<„.,c» V at offering any violence
o thou- r,de™, b„,,,g ,vholly al«o,bed by ,u da»h fflorV. d ",
u,,.o»,t,„„, ,t wa». decided c«,„ „f • Dovil take tholnd- ^T'
Uo,cwa.n„ t.M.oto »..|o, . a palh, »„ ,«„„ „ ,,„„j Z;^,™" ;
,"T , "r.t "'," "•""■"' '" ^'•"'"--- 1 e:.4,.d th uu"r ;'
,..ke,t of ho th,n„,, „„d presently found n,y,„lf .^.t of the t ' „
0 ehphants I know „„, „ „|,i„|, ,„ „ff„,„„|| ^
(ho art of nd,„g through „ wait-a-bit jungle, in an'^u.,i,li a 1,1"
as heanng the .■•un,,,et„f an enraged elephant, which ■» follow L'
aliout a spear's length in his wake." •"■■uwui^ in
TtRHIBLE OHAnOe OF A FEROCIOUS BULL • ELEPHANT
Not long after the cireniustance just related, when in ihe vich.itv
of Maiiginakuky, Cnuiraing was startled by a heril of in. nense buH
elephants that were browsing within a thiekH so near I i tL"r
lK,ivy Iireathing was distinctly audible. Galloping down he 11 a^
...iiling at the same lime, he succeeded in di'viirg them ut t '
t icket and shooting the largest bull in the herd. The animal
.heeled iinmediately and charged with such impetuosity that he Tan
cad.foreinost into a large bushy tree, which he sent Hyiif. befl hTm
g m the air, coming down at the same nnmient oi,'his\, ee Z
he heast now turned off Gumming followed on his hors , oadin.
d hring a, fast as possible, sometimes at the head and the , b h f
the shoulders ; but ,t was not until he had opened fire with a Du ch
...Ueen-pounder, that he was able to bring down the huge beast
„ , COOKING AN ELEPHANT'S FOOT.
esterrie'tVl'^f ", ""' '""'^' "" '""■'» °f "■" elephant and
!' ""■ "'i'l' /■Kl'ly, but to the cultivated taste, or rather to an
inely timgh and by no means juicy. There is one part of the ele
ant, however, to whieh this observation will not apply, si, ee in the
h"l. whe,, properly cooked, there is the succulence of a iel "ions dish
-vhich „„ght well regale the most delicate taste.
Ihe part used is tl,e first joint below the knee, .lthou..h we miH.t
wl expect this portion to be the toughest of the animal. T,M„ept e
b.»Jo,nt properly, a hole of three feet depth !s fi,., d,,.- i„ the e' "h
takedtd !r;'"" """" "™ P'-edu,;tiltheda:t s—Ui/is
ttea t ken f '7 """7 '"'''' ''-Pe^t'-e. Most of the coals°a
then taken out and replaced by the elephant's foot, which is then
594
SEA AND LAND.
'^*fr**«Bi.
covered with a layer of eartn, on top of which a hot fire is built and
kept well replenished for several hours. By this means the foot is
evenly baked, and when thoroughly done, instead of showing t()u<'h
meat fibres, it is reduced to a gelatinous consistency so that it may be
eaten with a spoon.
The Kaffirs are especially fond of elephant's foot, and cook it witli
a perfection never attained by other tribes. They usually makes the
preparation of an elephant's foot the occasion of a great feast at
COOKING AN ELEPHANT S FOOT.
which many attend, and a merry-making takes place somewhat like
the huskings and 'possum feasts of ante-slavery days.
HORRIBLE A00IDENT8 FROM ELEPHANT HUNTING,
From the many interesting accounts and narrow escapes <riven in
the preceding pages, it would appear that fatalities in huntiiij: tlio ele-
phant are extremely rare, if not altogether wanting, but so far from
this being true, the number of horrible accidents that occur in this
wild sport are so great that they at once provfe it to be one of tlie
most hazardous pastimes in which adventurous men have ever engagd.
Though a huge and inactive animal, the elephant is a courageous,
THE WORLD JlSHORE.
S9S
cunning and desperate foe, being difficult .,. tin ^ •
Wi"J fu,7 hy wounds. Many hun ers hi f 1 u^ " """"'^ *" «
falHy vanquished bin,, therei,y wC," .^ h' "^i"" '""*« '""'
n..u. renown, l,„t hundred, of othe "Lvo n.fi'l .T' '"' "■"" '^'"''^
thci.- te„,e,.ity, ,,y being g,.„u,.d tol^ TZ ,' I'::!? ""''/'"•
of nn eMm<rod elepliunt "^"eatn tlie ponderous feet
ant:ri;^h:,c;e?s„!r rr "t/"'^- ^'""- '» -<»
navv. a brave officer who waTh M h r'Sit'/' '^'T^'-S^^'^
coun.ry„,en. A considerable „„,,y ,,f Fnlf ""^'"''^ ''■''"" '"'
were Lieutenant- Owen and Messrs M.i.l"'"' """"« "I"""
do.en other seamen accon, .ildA-'lo^ ^ """' ''""■"" ""'' "
coast of Africa. The Z-tv h °d met 'Tu " '"''""^ ''""' "" "'« "-«'
pieasantcharacter,andC[i^;^j „"!."""" '"™''"' •■"'™"""'- "^ »
ticulariy a large „;,„„,»;: h plo ^^rwUh' 1'^ ff ""' "'"^ '""-
tl.By had almost loaded their 'J "o "" J . ''i '^'r '^'"r °' ""'''='■
pointed for their departure from AfdTinde^H° "" *'^ ""-
leaving the woods to re<.ain theh-tes,:!' ? "^^ "'"'■" "' "'" "'"o
by the spouting of a hi;; pit us th- 1 IT' I'""""" ""^ ""'»"'»<'
feeds of a river. Arle t -uld R r,Lr '''»l"'rt"ig among the
went in among the .ted s t; luf T; T""T"'"^ ''>' '"•" *»"'™".
a short distance when Ar otf .e • ' ,"' "'"^ '"'" l"™""*"'' ""Iv
i« ! ■• At this n.™ t^l e h "^ "" "''"""' "'"' "'"' " Here l.;
heard by the party outsMe the ''eSr'n '"';;" ^';'"""" ™'
face covered with blood loudlv e!m f "■"" ''""'""^ <""' '"«
.tacked and borne dowl' ;;"a?eCK Ztrs; X ^ " --
.earch for the unf, t^ „t .ffi e" ''"Z'Tf""' ""'""■™™" ">-•
cre,;sed number of his onoon!^,? , ! t'''"""' "'"'"""'' '" '!'« "'-
'f victim on the grlTd: ru "l^ "•^(;;,^^"-«>. '-ving
Htretched motionle^q nn Ui. u i "^ '"^"S'^"- V\ hen found he was
ki» eyes wererX Z^]^^^:^::^^:'""' """"'""• ""^
«f a violent death, the tr„.edv l„!l ■ expressive horror
.*- -.pnng the ^od^i-^r:- L7cr ii^r " ^"
n...., ^ . °^*''" '"' "TME FAMOUS HUNTER, oarl KR,-er
— r tha't his r ^ar^irr ■ •, - :-- ^^
596
8EA AND LAND.
indefat'igable, fearless and an excellent marksman, three of the e.Nsoii-
tial qualifications of a good hunter. Hundreds of lions, rhiuoceii,
hippopotami and elephants had fallen by his rifle, and numerous suc-
cesses had inspired him with a confidence in his abilities that rendered
him imprudent, or rather, foolishly courageous. With all his ex-
perience and valor he was, nevertheless, doomed to meet his death
from one of the animals he had for years so ruthlessly and success-
fully i)ursued.
One day, having with his party chased an elephant which he Inul
wounded, Krieger ran ahead of his companions with the intention of
killing the beast by a close shot. At the moment he was about to
fire, the animal turned and received the bullet in its side, which did
little injury, but so enraged it, that in a twinkling the elephant seized
him with its trunk, and lifting him high in the air, dashed him with
dreadful force to the ground. Krieger's companions, struck with
horror, fled precipitately from the fatal scene, unable to turn their
eyes to witness what might follow. But on the next day they returned
to the spot and there collected the bones and fle^h that could be found
and buried them. The enraged animal had not only literally trampled
the great hunter's body to yneces, but pounded the very flesh into dust.
GORED TO DEATH BY AN ELEPHANT
The following story is related by Charles Williams as an incident
of Boer daring, and at the same time as an illustration of the perils
attending the hunting of elephants:
" On New Year's day a party of Boers became heated with liquor,
when each began boastingly to tell of the feats of hardihood they
had performed. One of them, who had been a great hunter of ele-
phants, having killed in his day above forty of these gigantic animals,
laid wager that he would go into the forest and pluck three hairs out
of an elephant's tail. This feat he actually performed, and returned
safely with the trophy to his comrades. But not satisfied with this
daring act, he laid another bet that he would go back and shoot the
the same animal on the instant. He went accordingly; approached
the animal too incautiously, when his first shot not proving effective,
the enraged animal rushed on him before he could reload, or wake
his escape, and having fir^t thrust his tremendous tusks through his
body, trampled him to pieces."
FRIGHTFUL DEATH OF OFFICER MoOLANE.
An equally horrible death befell Captain McClane, an ofiicev in s
Cape regiment, who wtw bunting in the vicinity of thQ Qv«i»it Fish
three of the esson-
of lions, rhiiioccii,
and numerous suc-
lities that rendered
With all his ex-
to meet his deiith
lessly and suocess-
hant which lie Imd
th the intention of
lit he was about to
, its side, which did
the elephant seized
r, dashed him with
anions, struck with
lable to turn their
it day they returned
1 that could be found
ly literally trampled
very flesh into dust.
IT.
liams as an incident
tration of the perils
! heated with liquor,
1 of hardihood they
sreat hunter of ele-
Bse gigantic animals,
jluck three hairs out
armed, and returned
ot satisfied with this
I back and shoot the
i-dingly; approached
lot proving effective,
uld reload, or make
us tusks through his
LANE.
^lane, an officer in a
y of thQ (jv*;»kt Fisli
• i f\
M
•^•■1
^m
TRAGIC DEATH OF OFFICER m'cLANE.
'mmm^^'^
698
8EA AND LAND.
river with Lieutenants Moodie and Chisholm, and two brothers
named Kiiigl.t. The party struck a herd of cow-elephants and each,
in their eagerness to bag an animal, pursued different elephants and
thus soon became separated.
Shortly after their first dash Moodie was thrown from his horse
and so badly beset by a wounded cow that he loudly called for assist-
ance. Lieutenant Chisholm and a Hottentot responded and came up
only to see their companion beneath the feet of the enraged beast,
which was worrying him with her feet and trunk. The hunters tired
at her an^ caused her to retreat down the river bank; reaching their
unfortunate comrade, what was their surprise, when expecting to find
a crushed mass of flesh, they picked him up very little the worse for
his perilous adventure, as he had managed to keep his body out of
the way of the animal's great feet.
As Moodie, Chisholm and the Hottentot were returning to search
for their brother oflicers they saw McClane racing at his topmost
speed, on foot, across the plain, pursued by a large bull elephant that
was <?hrilly trumpeting. The three were too far distant from him to
offer tlie fated officer the least aid, and were, therefore, enforced
spectators of the dreadful tragedy that was soon to be enacted. The
ferocious beast soon caught McClane and lifting him high in the air
carried the poor fellow more than a hundred yards back into the thick
forest, whence his companions had retreated, then stopping and
looking bout, as if to fix upon the hardest spot, flung him violently
upon the ground. The force with which he struck the earth no doubt
produced Instant death, but the elephant's rage was not appeased by
Uiis one vengeful act, for he trampled the body until not the lea-t
semblance of a human form was left. But even this wantonness did
noV abate the animal's fearful anger, for he gathered up the shapeless
mass and carried it to an adjacent jungle, into the bushes ox which he
cast it. r>a t. u
By the time the elephant had spent his rage on McGane the others
came up, and a shot was fired which broke the animal's left fore-leg,
thus disabling him. He was now at the mercy of his foes, and speedily
succumbed to f 'leir combined attack.
KILLING ELEPHANTS WITH THE SWORD.
The extreme perils which are encountered by every elephant-hunter,
regardless of the weapon he may employ, appears to rather stimulate
than discourage courageous hunters to participate in the sport. We
THE WORLD ASHOBE.
899
may eas. y understand the inducements which draw the sportsman to
the jungle when he is armed with the most powerful weapons de-
vsed by geniuses of the nineteenth century, but not more than one-
tenth of the elephants slain fall before breech-loading rifles, the other
mne-ten hs be.ng killed by courageous natives who attack the giant
beast with no other weapon than a spear or sword
I have already referred to the manner in which 'certain tribes hunt
he elephant with assegais and swords, but T must again call attention
to the wonderful acts of bravery displayed by skilled Abyssinians,
called aggageers -sword-hunters - since their courage, har,^hood and
adrctness in the chase is phenomenal, to say the least. Sir Samuel
Baker, the greatest of English sportsmen, travelled extensively in
Abyssinia exploring the Nile tributaries, and it was while thus
engaged he fell in with a party of aggageers whosecunning in thechase
he was very anxious to see tested. Opportunity was finally offered,
and he describes the hunt m which he was an observer, rather than
participant, as follows:
-We had ridden about a mile, and were beginning to despair, when
suddenly we urned a sharp angle in the water-course, and Taher
Sherrif (the chief hunter), who was leading, immediately reined in
hi8 horse, and backed him toward the party. I followed his exam-
pie, and we were at once concealed by the sharp bend of the river
He now whispered that a bull elephant was drinking from a hole it
h.id scooped m the sand, not far round the corner. Without the
sl^htes confusion the hunters fell into their respective places, Taher
Shemf leading, while 1 followed closely in the rear ; we were a party
of seven horses. * ^
"Upon turning the corner, we at once perceived the elephant
that was still drinking. It was a fine bull, the enormous ears were
thrown forvvard, as the head was lowered in the act of drawin- up
the water through the trunk ; these shaded the eyes, and witlfthe
wind favorable, we advanced noiselessly upon the sand to within
twenty yards before we were perceived. The elephant then threw
up Its head, and with ears flapping forward, it raised its trunk for an
instant, then slowly, but easily, ascended the steep bank and re-
treated. The aggageers now halted for a min.itfi to .'nnfo. t.«„.*u..
and then followed in their original order up the crumbled bankr We
were now on most unfavorable ground; the fire that had cleared the
country we had hitherto traversed had been stopped by the bed of
600
SEA AND tAND.
the torrent. We were thus plunged jit once into withered ovass
above our heads, unless we stood in the stirrups; the ground was
strewed with fragments of rocks, Mnd altogether it was ill-adapted
for riding. However, Taher Sherrif broke into a trot, followed by
the entire party, as the elephant was not in sight. We ascended a
hill, and when near the summit, we perceived the elephant about
eighty yards ahead. It was looking behind during its retreat, by
swinging its huge head from side to side, and upon seeing us .ip.
proach, it turned suddenly round and halted. 'Be ready, and take
care of the rocks I ' said Taher Sherrif, as I rode forward by his side.
Hardly had he uttered these words of caution, when the bull gave a
ABYSSINIAN SWORD -HUNTERS DISTRACTING THE ELEPHANl's ATTENTION.
vicious jerk of the head, and with a shrill scream, it charged down
upon us with the greatest fury. Away we all went, helter skelter,
through the dry grass, which whistled in my ears, over the hidden
rocks at full gallop, with the elephant tearing after us, for about a
hundred and eighty yards at a tremendous pace. Tetel was a sure-
footed horse, and, being unshod, he never slipped upon the stones.
Thus, as we all scattered in different directions, the elephant became
confused, and relinquished the chase, it had been very near me at
the time, and in such ground I was not sorry when it gave up the
hunt. We now quickly united, and again followed the elephant,
THE WORLD ASHORE.
lni's attention.
601
that had once more retreated. Advaneino: at a canter w. . .,
oarae in view. Unon sppmrr fi. . i e- "•- « < -mtei , we shor v
. stronghold cZZa'tV^JZr "'° '"'" ''""'-•"'ely ".U.,.,;,
»hich grew, tl,i„ly, a few le.fl',;!"""';:*^'?"''' '" "'» """» "f
leg. It then turned bold^ ttL^r* d" J ^T''^ "' " '"""'^
bay. ^^varu-s us, and stood dotermipedly at
" Now came the tuff of war I T-ilm,. qi -j-
. said, 'You had better hoot fhp , '"^ '^"'^ "''"^ ^'» '"^ "'^"d
difficulty in this rocly^^ou d ' .JTr^'- V"" ^'^" ^^^^'^ ^^-^
the fight as it had beenC eneer'^^ 1 ' "'^'^' ^" ^'"^'
that he should endeavor to driveTh! /n . '''"''^ ' ""^^ ^ ^'^'^l^^'^^d
' Never mind.' replied T.hr' In T . , '""" ''^"""'^'^'^ S''"""^^'
..at us.' He no J advis^e^:!; ^t^"^^'^' '' ^'''^ ^^^
and look sharp fcr a charge. ^"'" ^' P^>««iWe,
" The elephant stood facino- ,m i;i,„ „ . . . .
n.usolc. beyond u qui,„< „nd -ll j etio "ll.e "'.r °'" "
watCing „., ,ide,,. Taher Sherrif and ^ .If^^r;, 'Ji'' T''^
now separated, and each took <,,.,>osito .ide", of ,1,!. 11/ ""'
..ined each other twenty ya.ds bohi d t r ""' "'"' "'^"
Taher advised me to keep a .out tt I;'^«""'P"'™d then,, until
In front of the elephant weT, ''""°"'''' °" ""> '<■'' «''"k-
tiio cic£iiiani; were a£ro^ao*ppr« {\\^a ^<-* ,.,u
nowned Rodur Sherrif, with the wUh^ d 1 Iu7"- *'" "," ""
action Kodur now rode sinwiv t„„ !i », """" '''"«'.'' '<»■
bull, who wa, ,uieti;:wt;i^ a r^o";:, trtrv: ™'"""? '"^
-neone,whondghtgiv.e,Hnrag„„dTh;r' """'' "'""" "'
" Kodur Sherrif rode a bav marp tl,.,f I • l
encounters, was perfect at her wo ritr"*,"'!"'"^'''"'''™'
towards her wary anf,»oui;t ,,7, -.f ^ "' """'>' "'"' "Jvanced
0^ «.e eiephaut.f hr;r™^;::i: rx::^':^ -*
~„:t:::[;,:,ts,rhrw:^^
mare, who gazed intentlv at Tp f k^ " ''" ''^' '^ ^'""'"^^ ^'•«'" the
moment of tuack ' ^ ^^ "'' '' ''^""^'' "«*^'"''^^ ^"^^ «'^e
.. DOWN RU8HE8 THE OHAROINQ ELEPHANT
-^ ::^^ rrf ' r etpt„r r^ -"■ - r^ r ■ ^•'"'
•vhlf -* 'u «^i«pnanc. ±"or an in«ti>nt T ^"w fK-
'>{iitc ui Che eye nearest to me : « Look onf Ti.A i
exclaimed. With a shrill . .^ . ' '^"'" ' ^'^^ coming I' I
auavalanohe. '"'"' ^^« «M^-t <iashed upon him like
' m
•- -ft
602
SEA AND LAND.
•* Round went the mare, as though upon a pivot, and away over
rocks and stones, flying like a gazelle, with the monkey-like form of
little Rodur Sherrif leaning forward, and looking over his left shoulder
as the elephant rushed after him.
**For a moment I thought he must be caught. Had the niaro
stumbled, all were lost ; but she gained in the race after a few bound-
ing strides, and Rodur, still looking behind him, kept his distance so
close to the elephant, that its outstretched trunk was within a few feet
of the mare's tail.
" Taher Sherrif and his brother, Ibrahim, swept down, like fal-
cons, in the rear. In full speed they dexterously avoided the trees,
until they arrived upon open ground, when they dashed up close to
the hindquarters of the furious elephant who, maddened with the ex,
citement, heeded nothing but Rodur and his mare, that were almost
within its grasp. When close to the tail of the elephant, Taher
Sherrif's sword flashed fr6m its sheath, as grasping his trusty blade
he leaped nimbly to the ground, while Ibrahim caught the reins of
his horse; two or three bounds on foot, with the sword clutched in
both hands, and he was close behind the elephant; a bright glance
shone like lightning, as the sun struck upon the descending steel ;
this was followed by a dull crack, as the sword cut through skin and
sinews, and settled deep in the bone, about twelve inches above the
foot. At the next stride the elephant halted dead short in the inid.^t
of its tremendous charge. Taher had jumped quickly on one side,
and had vaulted into the saddle with his naked sword in hand ; at the
same moment Rodur, who had led the chase, turned sharp round, and
again faced the elephant, as before i stooping quickly from his sad-
dle, he picked up from the ground a handful of dirt, which he threw
into the face of the vicious looking animal, that once more attempted
to rush upon him. It was impossible I the foot was dislocated, and
turned up in front like an old shoe. In an instant Taher was once
more on foot, and again the sharp sword slashed the remaining leg.
The great bull-elephant could not move ! The first cut with the sword
had utterly disabled it ; the second was its death blow ; the arteries
of the leg were divided, and the blood spurted in jets from the
wounds. I wished to terminate its misery by a bullet behind the ear,
but Taher iSherrif befirj»ed me not to fire, as the elephant would quickly
bleed to death without pain, and an unnecessary shot might attract
the Base (a neighboring tribe), who would steal the flesh and ivory
during our absence.
ivot, and away over
lonkey-like form of
)ver his left shoulder
;ht. Had the rnaro
e after a few bound-
kept his distance so
vds within a few feet
ept down, like fal-
y avoided the trees,
dashed up close to
ddened with the ex,
re, that were almost
he elephant, Talior
aing his trusty blade
caught the reins of
3 sword clutched in
iut; a bright glance
le descending steel ;
ut through skin and
^^e inches above the
i short in the midst
luickly on one side,
ord in hand ; at the
ed sharp round, and
lickly from his sad-
lirt, which he threw
nee more attempted
was dislocated, and
ant Taher was once
the remaining leg.
;t cut with the sword
1 blow ; the arteries
1 in jets from the
illet behind the ear,
phant would quickly
shot might attract
the flesh and ivory
THE WORLD ASHORE.
603
.« The hunting of Taher Sherrif and his brothers was superlatively
beautiful; wUh^, amense amount of dash, there wasa cool, sportl
=r=':r.^r/c^rirl1:s^-
if''
!!•'
14 '
til
■ ' a
.ij jfS
604
8RA AND LAND.
*c> admire the most, wliether the coolness and <*oura<re of liim who led
the elei)hiint, or the extniordin.iry skill and activity of the agirufrcci-
who dealt the fatal blow."
8TRAN0E DEATH OF PROF. WAHLBERO.
One of the nio'^t ronowiu'd naturalists that iias penetrated Afiicnn
wilds in pursuit of his interestinii; j)r()fession, was Professor Walil-
l)erg,a Swede, who, in company with Chapman and Green, nnuK- an
ex[)l()ration of Southwest Africa as far uh Victoria Fi'.lls and Lake
Ngami. Professor Wahlberg entertained come singular helicfsj,
founded though they were entirely ujmn analogy, or, rather, as-
sumptions which ex[)erienco certainly contravenes. Among these
fallacies was a ))elief, which he very strongly maintained, that in
hunting ele[)hant8 the safest plan to avoid the charge of an enraired
animal was to stand still like a rock, as by so doing the ele|)hant would
be sure to swerve past tli,e hunter without inflicting )'ny injury, awed
by the fearlessness and majesty of man. He even contended that in
several instances he had demonstrated the fact. Green, who was at
the time the boldest and most successful hunter in all Africa, main-
tained the discreetness of runnnig away immediately u^'on firiiij> at
an elephant, without waiting to determine the result, and cited not a
few occasions in which the wounded beast rushed forward and was
standing in the very smoke of the gun when next seen.
^ means of testing the question thus raised was socn offered for,
though Green protested against the Professor placing Jiimself in such
imminent peril, which was little short of suicide, tb^ naturalist wns
none the less eager to prove the correctness of his theory. Two days
after the dispute was begun, the party, consisting of Green and
brother. Chapman and Wahlberg, came upon a herd in which thoro
were four bulls anf six cows, all the latter having calves. As the
aninnils were browcaig near the edge of a junglethey were approached
without trouble, the men having all dismounted and tied their horses
some distance from the brutes. Green still continued to warn Wahl-
berg, and insisted on taking the lead himself, in order to prevent, if
possible, an experiment which he felt certain must result in his friend's
death. As the party approached within firing distance Green shot at
the largest bull, but did not succeed in bringing him down. Wahll)erir
now rushed towards the bull and fired at his left shoulder, but his
shot produced no other effect, apparently, than to further enrage
the already unfuriated beast. The other elephants made off through
TIIK WOULD ASIIOKE.
005
the Jungle, but the wounded IimII t(w,„.,u •.
cm,il«t. All »,,vo VV-.hl'.o,-,r .„ r ' ; <=l'"lli'ngi„:; Ins f,„.« |„
;-'!■--- "::^;z:; :;;:;-;:':^!— -f:"^'^
for l,„ l,fo. I„ „„„t|,„, „„„„„„j el,.phu„t;.u,„ ■■""
staiidins •' like u rock " „l,„„t i„, "'*'""-"" " Mlmg, „l,o was
i„ a u.ic„ ti,e hu;t,»t t: ; /;;;t t;;;k ''::?f •"' '^^^-'"'^^
8|,c«(,„0o, Groen and Cl,ap„,,u, rclm- ,p,1 r," T .H""-'*-"! <>y tl„,
l*»"t right and left, wherTu 1 , I7o 1 ..^T ^- ™'' """ "' "'" <"'-
«f«.enat„raii.. wi.en' 1 1: ;:.ir;:::i ^^z L^i;;J:: J'''"-'
only a .ekening spectaolo „f er„»hod bono, and leod "Z "•"
wind, not a trace of life rcnn.ined. Ho bad settled .h„? f ', '"
l....e, but i„ .o doing »oie„e„ b.t one o, It, aM^'tl:!^:'"' '" '"-
Africa, or, indeed!. e"evtr'"" "'•"''" °' ^^^"'™'
are the olepbant a ,d rb Ito, T ,c Htio ""'' ''-f'"" "' """™'''''
i.lity before n,an, but in bi. »u ^ n„I I bde ";,'"; ,"'; •^'■"""- ""'■
i« battle witb the elepbant a.fdmte a, f ,f "'"'"" ""'"S''S''
ImJIy adversary as be L hin,se f he et «» f.-e„„e„tly vanquishes his
pencil upon which has the Li epo,,!::;, 7 "''■';"'"'' ''''-
p.-..vided in this respect the contest sZ,',. ho t'; tlf b," "!"
tunc» the rhinoceros is found almost dest lute o( t1 L Tb . ^'
perhaps, to natural causes, usually bis d "ositio I te ""' '''"'■
trees, excited by a parasite that Lquen V ,t s ,is no2|""™i'
causes him great pain A^e ..l«n .ff /;^''"'^« ''^^ no^tnls and
which beconres woi-n o ^^ ' s J t fah" "T" "' "" """''
The elephant, however, is ha dW less ort ..^ff " "' "r"''""-
find him illy provided Ji.l, . i , '"""""'O' f'"' sou,etin,es we
bavin, brkeitbemlff J- """ "' ""'"" *""' "" '"■'''^ "' "".
opportu,;, ; off s Sho, m7, "i'^K '"■'' ""'"• ""<■ »"■"=« "'--<''
V nity offle.s. Should the elephant succeed in catching his ad-
606
SEA AND LAND.
versary in the side ho quickly impulos him with his terrible tusks and
U invariiihly victoriouH ; but so great an advantage is uncoiiiuioii.
Most generally the rhinoeeros is .struck about the shoulders, and it
often hiippcns that his thick hide deflects the thrust, when he rusJUK
ou and plunges his horn either into his antagonist's abdomen or rip«
COMBAT BETWKEN AN ELEPHANT ANU RHINOCEROS.
his legs or breast. If the elephant turns to retreat he is certainly
doomed, for then the rhinoceros attacks him in the rear or side and
invariiibly tears liUVi Witu uis horn, nor c-r-;;re3 to piy this icari--
weapon until the elephant is torn and gashed into an almost un-
recognizable mass.
THE WORLD ASHORE.
607
MOCEROS.
CHAPTER XXX.
THE RHINOCEROS.
•^ po»,os»os a wo„dc.rf„l annature i„ the uh„o.st i„vu „„n,ble
o„„t >v,th which nature clothe, hi,,,, while his weapon i» so forn id oU
ll.at no .east of hi, wild h„„,e ean stand against 'hi,„. Tl Zpt
,s an aeknowledged sn|....n„,. I,v reason of hi. ponderous hnik a,"d
majestie uwe-,n«|„r,ng appearanee, as well as for the gieat sa^aeitv
1,0 „,„„,fes,s B„t if the king of ani„,„|s should he ehl, f rTt^
„ost for,„,dable of beasts, ,i,e„ the e,own „„st snroly be worn In
,1,0 rinnooe,™ It „,,t „,frequen,ly happens that the mlgUiy Titans
of th forest, the elephant and ,-hinooe,os, beeo.ne engaged in terrib lo
.hsputes when the wond,.rful weapons with whieh tlfey^re endowed
»,e w,eded wth an effect positively frightful to witness. The
lephan thrusts w.th h,» tusks and atten.pts to t,amplc, but the thick
^,do of the r„„oee,.os is fai,ly in,pervious to even thes^ great pikes
u„d ben,g ex rcnely active (or his i„,n,enso size, the rhinoceros a tacks'
In antago,„st f,o,„ beneath, and disen,bowels him with the dispa ch
wMh wh.ch a spo,ts,„a„ splits a fish. Of course, the contestant „
wh,ch I refer ,s the h„ge, blaci .inocoros of A rica or ndi t e
.ceo antoc-at of the jungle, and not the small, white spec! si h
reams the forests with his gigant ic congeners.
D,FFERE«T 8PE0,ES AND WHERE FOUND.
The rh,noce,-os is peculiar to m,.ny counfies, including Ben,ral
S.am Ceylon, China, Java, Sun,a„-a and Afric,. But there T a
br.,ad d,stmct,o„ between those of Asia and of Africa. In the fcmer
hcs ,„ fo ds, or creased, so as to somewhat resemble the large folds
of the aihgator. They have also only one horn, except the Java and
~ ■' ■'"^' =S-'"=J' "ian, neither are they numerous.
mZ^f Tr "';*™°«-' -■« known to exist in South
Af„ca, hvo of wh.ch a,e of a dark color, and two of a whitish hue.
II
u
608
SEA ANI> LAND.
Hence, they are usually designated as the •♦black" and "white"
rhinf)cei()8. One of the two species of '* black " — the Borle^ as it j.s
most commonly called — is the small, one-horned rhinoceros. The
other — best known by the name ^ei7/oa — is the large, two-honud
animal, not only larger but much fiercer than the former. Both
species, however, are extremely fierce and, excepting the buffalo, arc
perhaps the most dangerous of all beasts in Southern Africa.
Of the white species we have the Kohoaba, or long-hoincd wliiio
rhinoceros. It is with regard to their horns that the two species
''.hiedy differ from each other, for whilst the anterior horn of the one,
called monoohoo by the Bechuanas, has an average length of two or
three feet, curving backwards, that of the koboaba not unfreqiiontiv
exceeds four feet, and inclines forward from the snout at an aiiHc
of nearly forty-five degrees.
The black and the whi^te rhin(»ceros, though nearly allied to each
other, differ widely in their mode of living and habits. The iliiof
sustenance of the former consists of the roots of certain bushivs,
which it plows up with its strong horn, and the shoots and tender
boughs of the " wait-a-bit " thorn ; whilst the white rhinoceros feeds
solely on grasses. In disposition, also, there is a marked distinction
between them ; the blaiik is of a very savage nature, while the while,
on the other hand, is of a comparatively mild disposition; and, un-
less in defense of its young, or when hotly pursued or. wounded, will
rarely attack a man.
The horn of the rhinoceros is thq most curious feature, not only in
appearance, but structure as well. The substance of which it is
composed is not horn, but a mass of fine longitudinal threads re
sembling hair, attached not to the skull, but to a bony protuberance
above the nostrils. It is believed by many, that when the animal is
at re>it, the so-called horns are soft and pliable, but when t)n lliu
move they at once becotno hard and solid ; moreover, that it can,
at will, turn the posterior horn, the anterior one remaining mean-
while firm and erect. But this is merely an asisertion without any re-
liable proof , therefore improbable. In former days the horn was sup-
posed to bear an antipathy to poison, and to cause effervescence
whenever liquid i)oison was poured upon it. Goblets were therefore
cut from this ninterin!, aisd when. gorg<>o!!s!y jnounted in gold am!
piecious stoiiet!, were employed by Eastern monarchs as a ready
means for detecting any attempt to administer a deadly drug. The
5^ WORLD ASHORE.
IvufBr-s make knob-keriies. or knoh h a a .
the, u,o t„ kil, bi,d,„d ,„ ,f "te :t !""•?' °'*'«' '■»™. Which
flict.. Ramrods «.e al,,o made of the ." " '" '"»'"' -f-hand co„.
po»e they a,e better tl,a„ wood „r%teel ""'*"''"' '"'' "'""'' P"'
In si^e, the African rhinoceros- the whit„ •
""'y """'de-i l-y the elephant A fnU '"""^'' "* '""^t- is
Ihe snont to the extremity of the tail/Xr" "."''' '"*''''"'^' ft-"™
tween fourteen and sixteen feet and a I ." "'"'"' '"" ^'^'") "«-
feet, while the weight is mobabt r.'°""" "' '<'" '" '"«'>«
pounds. '"°''»'''y f™™ four to five thousand
The .e„e,,,l * """""="" <=""»" * WAOOH.
tne general appearance of tho it,.:,.
lilce a shorn hog, f„r it i, ,„;,., d*! 1] f ',"««'™ '" somewhat
ircnely small, so that at a con^^att tilt ? ^'J'- ^''"' "''' ■"-' »"
perceptible. Altogether. whaTwUh hi ,/ ", f"""" "'^^ ■"■« '■»-
"»Sainly legs „„d /eet, t, ulintbe „ "d 7 ;"■ ""'"'"'P''" '■«»<>.
the rhinoceros is the very ima°e of '"^ *"'"■"'"" -■g'""'"* vision,
to the great longevity of^t "aCfl ,f ' f ■.,'^™''^ '"^•""'""^ l-o'-te
i. attains has not be^. My d "mi d"'"V,rf '•«"-«-= '« ""ich
tired years, however, is a wdl e'tlwfehed J^ " ""'""'' "™ '""'-
wJe::?etn;i:i:i^:;:;Vi:,r?';'V"'^""'' "> *"« •""p'^-.t.
.ni»chief. It is on reco"d t Jt ' ''"' '""'^^'' " '"d" 'ar greater
p;.tngai,sentt„,he;: ;;„ 1 ;:;:r;rt''"\'="'"""«''^'"«^^^^
»f fury, to which these ani.naU sC 1! , ' ^'=''™^''d-i" a paroxysm
ve«cl in winch he w.« heStZZlT' ''"^'''^''''y ^"'-J-W-the
««rc drowned. Mr. Ban,, : t " Xf c' ",?''"' '"^"'■Ij' »'' the crew
u.«dc„t to show the extr ; ^*^;rv trv , '''""''■ '""> ""''"^ "»
«ml. He says: "'^ '"'■>' "'"^ P°wer of this mighty anj.
to l-e allowed to go in s^: '„ " ,f "elT"' TP l'" 'T:" '••""'^"'»<'
""I)- reserving a native to assist M,„Tn T t .'^ ^ "''"'''y Sauted.
""■• "'«..l. While we were tl „ ' ,° T '= "■" "'" "'"' P'-'P'""'?
i%'."nd,on looking The 2/ ^^"^1. *"'"'""' "h""""? "nd fi,!
di-over,.d,toourhor,.^r arh r "''T "" "™- P™«««led,
.«P cf h,s ...peed. O : ;,; 'e : 7; '■""'"*' ""•■■"'"'^' »* - "' "">
"ktchwehurnedly «„„g onrselv" aJT" "T """ ""^'""' '"">
Aoald seek refuge, for the , 0x1^.; ,1 ""' '"*^'' ''"'« """ "«
^^ 5 . the „„,t instant the cnraped brul, struck his
610
SEA AND LAND.
horn into the bottom boards with such force as to push the wagon
several paces forward, although it was standing in very heavy sand.
Most providentially, he attacked the vehicle from behind, for, if he
had struck it on
the side, he could
hardly have failed
to upset it, ])()n-
derous as it was.
From the wagon
he made a dash
at the fire, over-
turning the pot
we had placed
along-side it, :uk1
scattering the
burning brands
in every direc-
tion. Then, with-
out doing further
damage, lie pro-
ceeded on his wild
career. Unfor-
tunately, the men
had taken with
them all t lie guiKs,
otherwise,! might
easily have shot
him dead on the
spot. The Da-
mar a, howevci,
threw hid assegai
at him, but the
soft iron bent like
A RHINOCEROS AITACKING A WAGON.
a reed against his thick, tough and almost impenetrable bide."
Ungainly and heavy as the rhinoceros looks, it is, nevertheless, so
exceedirigly swift of foot, particubuly the black species, "that a
horse with a rider," to quote the words of Gordon (>.nnming-. "can
rarely manage to overtake it." The testimony of Captain Harris is
to the like effect; for, when speaking of the chase of tliis uninwl,
to push the wagon
1 very heavy sand.
1 behind, for, if ho
had struck it on
the side, he could
hardly have failed
to upset it, })()n-
derous as it was.
From the wagon
he made a. dash
at the fire, over-
turning the pot
we had placed
along-side it, suul
scattering the
burning brands
in every direc-
tion. Then, with-
out doing fnrther
damage, lie pro-
ceeded on his wild
career. Unfor-
tuniiteiy,thenieii
had taken with
them all the guns,
otherwise,! might
easily have shot
him dead on the
spot. The Da-
mar a, howevei,
threw his nssegai
at him, but the
soft iron bent like
[npenetrable hide."
; is, nevertheless, so
*k species, "that a
on (humming, "fan
•f Captain Harris is
lUse of tliis aninwlj
THE WORLD ASHORE.
611
and after telling us that it is most dilBcult to kJli i.
breeding habits exceDt th,. » , 1 "*"" '" *•« ^nown of its
.fte,. the latt'er hal ^e.n m:^^' :,lt-Z>:iT ^7 .T *"»
carcass. irequentJy found beside the
position o, his eyes - w.; ottVdeersZlrt !"'" 'Il" "''"''"'
boms, he cannot see what is directly bl 1 h '"""'T^"'' '"» '""-ge
of Vision extend ™„ch behind Il^^^l^ ti^IdT '"^ "'' """'
Seen in z ^^inS::;^::z:T"' "'•■"°°"°'-
Hstlessly sauntering about a p son tonldT^'-f /' "' '''"""'• "'
nocerosasthe most stupid and !^^/ be apt to regard the rhi-
bis ire is aroused, h-- ' "o Is he ef " »/. "features , yet, when
and terrible of bl ™™' "'"' '^ ">™ ""e raost agile
o.' those whopassedi:r;::at„ s"'''r:;,fr::r"'" r'''^'
an attack made by this animal unon „ ">« ""cumstances of
were not after such game He s^'s .%:7„Z hT"™"' """
troops cantoned at Dunauore ne fp . ™ belonging to the
Mongbyr, to shoot and h'u t." They td 'e?'" T "■f"'"'""^-"
Uenzapore, and had heard somf'™™! 7'' ,'"''''' ''"'"'^ <"'
.ttackedsometravelerssevera ZlesoT One " """""^ '"'"''«
were rising, about dav-break ' """* ™- ^ne mornmg, ust as Ihey
Violent upr;ar, and ^n'h^t'i g f:;",^::,;' ;' f --'Kv heard I
goring their horses,both of which boh.' f? """' » [bmoeeros was
heels with rone- ,v„v. „„ .' ^ fastened by their heads, and
«va„ts tXto tl r heera'd^ ^ """",'"'" '*'='"'<' " '•'=™'- ^heir
'""■ingjuuHe andtL !, T"'"'*'' """"delves in the neigh-
tree n , f r d|st".t bef^ bT """ ''"' '""" '" "''""> '"'« « -»"
<l"tr„e,io„ of th:Lr! : Ltd r:" '"''• ""'-= "'""P"'^'' "'^
were barely out of I, '"'"'"■s attention to their masters. They
«Pec>a y a?he „s„. 7"f,' "'"' '"^ "'' '""'"^ '^«'"Pt f^om dau<.er!
Pe Wily «s be assumed a threatening appea.,nce, and seem,d in^n
iS!
f #5,
612
SEA AND LAND.
on their downfall. After keeping them in dreadful suspense for some
time, and using many efforts to dislodge them, seeing the sun rise, he
retreated to his haunt, not, however, without occasionally casting an
eye back, as with regret, at leaving what he wanted the power to
destroy."
FIOHT BETWEEN FOUR BULL RHINOOERt.
The rhinoceros is not alone dangerous to man ; all the beasts of the
forest dread him, and i^ ne venture to attack this formidable monster.
The lion, if he chances to meet a rhinoceros, slinks out of his way,
not daring i^ suffer a near approach. The elephant, too, should they
encounter, retreats, if possible, without hazarding an engagement.
A BATTLE OF GIANTS.
Major Lally described to the author of '* Oriental Sports " a desper-
ate battle, which he once witnessed from a neighboring hill, between
a large male elephant and a rhinoceros. The combat was fierce beyond
description, the huge animals contesting with a power that fairly
shook the woods, and tearing up more than an acre of ground like a
steam plow. The fight at length terminated in favor of the rhi-
noceros, who put his great antagonist to rout covered with frightful
gashes vthich must have shortly afterwards proved fatal.
The rill noceros hoc oiiiy iin-a»ur-oa BMcugin ttjiq any tuu..-' --
forest, but will even court a combat with his own species, particularly
during certain eeftsoos whea ht appears to be in an irritjibje inood,
'rHE WORLD ASHORE.
613
irts" a desper-
r ttiilts • —^~
Andersson says: .. 0„e „,ght, when at the sfcarm, I saw four huge
beasts engage each other at the same tin.e, and so furious was Z
s rife and th.n- gruntings so horrible, that it caused the gr ^test co„
sternat.™ a.nougst my party, who were encamped a little way off i
suceeded, after a wh.le, in killing two of them, one of whlh wa
actually unfit for food, being literally covered with wounds received "
previous occasions, and probably under similar circumstances.' >
HUNTING THE RHINOCEROS
The rhinoceros is a favorite game with African sportsmen, not-
withstanding its ferocious disposition and the difBculty in kill!, ..
One of the most generally approved plans is to staik the a-iimll
eitner when feeding or reposing. If the hunter keeps well ^nUe tte
wind, and there be the least cover, he will havi no difficulty t
.ppioachmg the beast within an easy range when, if the ball i, IZ
directed, the prey ,s usually killed on the spot. With proper preean-
tion this kmd of sport may be conducted without greatly endai gerh".
a person's safety. vtaiij^cmi^
But the least dangerous and most convenient way of destroying this
n.ma ,s to shoot h.m from the skurm as he comes to the po!,l to
quench h,s thirst. -In this manner," says Andersson, -I have ki led
many scores of rhinoceri." Occasionally the animal is taken in p t-
alls which are coiistructed in pretty much the same n.anner as those
for the capture of the elephant and r.ther large game.
DESPERATE SITUATION OF MR. OSWALL
The rhinoceros is not often hunted on horseback, chiefly because
tkhrdf'n "v""" "" '"'' "^""''''^ veryditBculttocomeup
V th and follow h.m -to say nothing of the danger attendant on sucL
urse Many a hunter, indeed, has thereby endangered his life. In
!;:s;Vdt hlmr^^"" ^"^^^^^'^ ^o-owing harrowing incident, as
-Once, as I was returning from an elephant chase,' said Mr.
Oswall,m conversation with me one day, a observed a huge white
lumtei -the best Ui.d fleetest steed that I ever possessed durin<. mv
shooting excursions in Africa -at that time; but it was a rule^viti,
me^iever to pursue a rhinoceros on horsel.ack, simply because this
anh.u. is so much more easily approached and killed on foot. On
his occasion, however, it seemed as if fate had interfered. Turnin«.
to my after-nder, I called out : « By heaven, that fellow has a fine
1 ' 'm
614
SEA AND LAND.
horn 1 I will have a shot at him.' With thnt I clapped spurs to my
horse, who soon brought me alongside the huge beast, and the next
instant I lodged a ball in his body, but, as it turned out, not witli
deadly effect. On receiving my shot, the rhinoceros, to my givat
surprise, instead of seeking safety in flight, as is the habit of this jrcn-
erally inoffensive animal, suddenly stopped short, then turned sharply
round, and, having eyed me most curiously for a second or two,
walked slowly towards me. I never dreamt of danger. Nevertheless,
I instinctively turned my horse's head away ; but, strange to say,
this creature, usually so docile and gentle — which the slightest touch
of the reins would be sufficient to guide — now absolutely refused to
give me his head. When, at last, he did so it Avas too late ; for, not-
withstanding the rhinoceros had only been walking, the distance
between us was so inconsiderable, that by this time I clearly saw con-
tact was unavoidable. Indeed, in another moment, I observed tho
brute bend low his head, ahd, with a thrust upwards, struck his horn
into tue ribs of the horse with such force as to penetrate to the very
saddle on the opposite side, where I felt its sharp point against my
le*'. The violence of the blow was so tremendous as to cause the
horse to make a complete somersault in the air, coming heavily down
on his back. With regard to myself, I was, as a matter of course,
violently precipitated to the ground. Whilst .hus proghatcd, I
actually saw the horn of the infuriated brute along-side of nie ; but,
seemingly satisfied with his revenge, without attempting to do further
mischief, he started off at a canter from the scene of action. My
after-rider having by this time come up, I rushed upon him, and,
almost pulling him off the horse, leaped into the saddle, and without
a hat and my face streaming with blood, was quickly in pursuit of the
retreatin«y beast, which I soon had the satisfaction of seeing stretched
lifeless at my feet.
«« « My friend, Captain Vardon, by whom I was accompanied on this
journey, soon after joined me, and seeing my head and face covered
with blood, at first imagined me to be mortally Avounded or dying.
However, with the exception of a blow on the skull, occasioned by
the stirrup-iron, which laid my head open a few inches, I received no
further injury. But the horse was killed on the spot.' "
08WALL BADt-Y WOUNDED BY A RHiNOOEROS.
The good fortune which attended Mr. Oswall in the adventure just
related entirely deserted him upon an occasion somewhat iimilar,
clapped spurs to mv
e beast, and the mxt
turned out, not ^itli
noceros, to my jrroiit
<^he habit of this ffcMi-
•t, then turned sharply
for a second or two,
hunger. Nevertheless,
but, strange to say,
eh the slightest touch
absolutely refused to
ras too late ; for, not-
iralking, the distance
me I clearly saw con-
ment, I observed tht*
rards, struck his horn
penetrate to the very
larp point against my
ndous as to cause the
coming heavily down
a matter of coui'se,
t -hus prosh-atod, I
ong-side of me ; but,
3mpting to do further
(cene of action. My
ished upon him, and,
e saddle, and without
ickly in pursuit of the
3n of seeing stretched
3 accompanied on this
lead and face covered
ly wounded or dying.
skull, occasioned by
inches, I received no
J spot.' "
in the adventure just
m somewhat gimilar,
4
^|. 'f.
» 'i- M.
ir>\
616
SE* AND LAND.
which occurred soon after. Rehitinij this story, at the same time, to
Mr. Andersson, who records it, Oswull says :
"•On another occasion, as I wiis bending my steps towards my
camp on foot, I espied, at no great distance, two rhinoceri of the
species keitloa. They were feeding and slowly approaching me. I
immediately crouched and quietly waited their arrival; but,thousrh
they soon came within range, from their constantly facing me I was
unable to fire, well knowing the uselessncss of a shot at the head. In
a short time they had approached so close that, on account of the
exposed nature of the ground, I could neither retreat nor advance,
and my situation became highly critical. I was afraid to fire, for,
had I even succeeded in killing one, the other would, in all likelihood,
have run over and trampled me to death. In this dilemma the
tht)ught struck me, that on account of theirbad si^ht I might possibly
save myself by trying to run pu.st them. No time was to be lost; and
accordingly, just as the leading animal almost touched me, I st )od up
and dashed past it. The brute was, however, much too quick for
me, and before I had made good many paces, I heard a violent snort-
ing at my heels ; and had only time to fire my gun at random into his
head, when I felt myself impaled on his horn.
'♦ * The shock stunned me completely. The fin ': return to conscious-
ness was, I recollect, finding myself seated on one of my ponies, and
a Caffre leading it. I had an indistinct notion of having been hunt-
ing; and, on observing the man, I asked quickly v/hy he was not
following the animal, when he mumbled something to the effect that
it was gone.
«* <By accident I touched my right hip with my hand, and on with-
drawing it, was astonished to find it clotted with blood. Yet my
senses were still so confused, and the side so benumbed, that I
actually kept feeling and working the ^a und with my fingers. Whii^
trying to account for my strange position, I observed some of niv
men coming towards me with a cartel, and on asking them what they
were about, they cried out that they had come to fetch my body, hav-
ing been told that 1 was killed by some animal. The truth now, for
the first time, broke upon me, and I was quickly made aware of my
crippled condition. The wound I had received was of a serious
character, and though it ultimately healed, it left scars behind whici'
will remain with me to the day of my death.' "
le same time, to
THE WORLD ASHORE. ^.^^
THE VULNERABLENE88 OF THE RH.NOOER08
bihtyof the .hinocos He shvs T.'^r'"''' """'"'" "'^"'"'"■«-
fttct that the hide of the rhiimo«rn. • • '^ ^""'"'"y received as a
even to an .i,o„ ia„„t • „, 'Z7 , ""P"""*™"" f « LuUet, or
.l..-«i. iustas id,e°a It::, atarT'lhe^Af""' """^"'^ "• ^'"
as that entertained respeeti,^- tl,l .!.f. .""" '''«'°'»* "" 'e«st,
n.ars horna , for a corole ' „tn ^m'fi.tj'^I'''''''^"' "" »"''
liide with the greatest facility It • T '" "">■ """"Sh ">e
brnte; for, thon'gh I have Ww„ a!L '■•""•"» '•'""'I be netr the
a hundred,ard.,'it is .„ l^Z^::'ZZ: I '^^ !.' f "'"«"'='' <"
or forty paces one cannot make sure of t^ethot TT ll T".'""''
seances a double charge of nowder i. J '. '''°'- Under all circum-
t™-««ras lead and o^JSZ^:^^^^^ " """- »"«'« "f
thron^tthetr '„7t;: t:zrz!r """" '-^ ^°*- « •»"
instantaneous death. F „m the vet r? T °°''^'" '° ""''" ■""■<"»
great thickness of the hide on tU Zr" j^ ''"''T'" ""' '"'"'' *>■«
the smallness of the brain a shot i*^^ th . T'""" "' ""^ •">"•"■<"
fatal. The same n,ay b::;id of leYrtlst f' "'''^™'- P^'es
AndTrTor th\";rt''h:rT """ t ''"°" — "-
.Weri during theC eT^; T'tra elTsot^rAf"'"'^ T'^
considering the fact that these were sWn whil. K ""'' "'''''''•
otherga,„e, furnishes an idea of tL 1, t if ,7 /.u"' '" '"""''' "'
region. It i, not strange therefor! ZH I' "' *'" ""'""«' '» ">«*
able adventures jeopardizi 1 hfr^; ''"" !'"'"«'W -eetwith remark-
"hair-breadth es^ap'es " L'" ' tt ",■; T'"' ""^ "'"'"^ «""«<•
.cords none are J,re thril,t7tha. t Jf^W^^^^^^^^ "''"' '"
a..d oX,ar:rt*:' t-pir'^ ^"^'™-^ '- ™^ ^'^-.
reverie was interrupted bvJh!'- \ P"""™'J™ «eene before n,e, ray
noceroa. He wasT deX n r,^'™"''--/™'-^ of a black rhi'
amongst the trees intolr^ope gro„::T„ "'' "?,^ ^"""^^-^ '«>■»
;:«ing a^nd everythin/If re;^:^:^:^!^'^.!'',"^-
-ivablefW. Zwastlr^XreZt^Ti:^^^^^^^^^^
618
SEA AND LAND.
owing to tho openness of the ground and the quantity of lime-
stone thereabouts, which made objects more distinct, he was not easy
to approach. However, after divesting myself of my shoes, and all
the more conspicuous parts of my dress, I managed to crawl — push-
ing my gun before me — to within a short distance of the snorting
beast. As he was advancing in a direct line toward me, I did not
like to tire, because one has little chance of killing the rhinoceros
when in that position. Having approached within a few feet of nie,
his attention was attracted, and suddenly uttering one of those sirange
•blowing* noises, so peculiar to the beast when alarmed or enrafrtd,
he prepared to treat me in a similar manner to the stones and skulls
he had just so mercilessly tossed about. Not a moment was to he
lost; and, in self-defense, I fired at his head. I shall never forget
the confusion of liie animal on receiving the contents of n)y gun.
Springing nearly perpendicularly into the air, and to the height of
several feet, he came dowi^ again with a thump that seemed to make
the earth tremble — then violently plunging forward (in doing which
he all but trampled me), he ran round and round the spot for fully
five minutes, enveloping every object in a cloud of dust. At last he
dashed into the wood and was hidden from view. Not finding l)loocl
on his tracks, I had no reason to suppose that he was much hurt. My
notion is, the bullet struck his horn, partially stunning him with its
jarring vii)lence. Had my gun missed fire when he charged, it is
more than probable I would have been impaled."
A dTILL MORE REMARKABLE ESCAPE.
«* Having on a certain night," says Andersson, " stalked to within
a few pacef of a huge white rhinoceros (a female as it proved), I put
a ball in her shoulder ; but it nearly cost me dear, for, guided by the
flash of the gun, she rushed upon me with such fury that I had only
time to throw myself on my back, in which position I remained mo-
tionless. This saved my life, for, not observing me, she came to a
sudden halt just as her feet were about to crush my body. She was
so near to me that I felt the saliva from her mouth trickle on my
face. I was in an agony of suspense, though, happily, only for a
moment ; for, having imi)atiently sniffed the air, she wheeled about
and made off at her utmost speed. I then saw, for the first time,
that her calf was in company, and at once recognized the pair as
old acquaintances, and as especially vicious animals."
lffr:W:^
) quantity of llmo-
ict, he was not oasy
tf my shoes, anJ all
ed to crawl — push-
ice of the snortiusr
•ward luc, I did not
ling the rhinoceros
n a few feet of iiic,
ano of those siraiifre
ilarnied or enranfcii,
le stones and skulls
moment was to be
[ shall never forget
mtoiits of my gun.
id to the hoiirlit of
lat seemed to make
ird (in doing which
i the spot for fully
if dust. At last he
Not finding blood
A^as much hurt. My
unninfij him with its
n he charged, it is
, *♦ stalked to within
as it proved), I put
, for, guided by the
ury that I had only
ion I remained nio-
^ me, she came to a
ny body. She was
outh trickle on my
lappily, only for a
, she wheeled about
for the first time,
iognized the pair as
THE WORLD ASHORE.
619
It IS related by re iable travelers thnf «» .
,uas shot a .hLcoro/a Tw U „:;ZT",'''' ''™° '^'''"''■
killi,.git on tho spot. I„,„.i„,„™that Z 1 * '"''' "PP'"-''"'IJ'
of tho hunters. Z spirit «fC:vado ^utod „"; ori'd '° f ""•."'"'
self astrido the huge body, pl„„g„d h s k, o into i Th "'"'"S''""-
eve. had only Been stunned. a.Td heing hL^Lt t Z:::::^^
PERILOUS RIDE OF A NAMAQUA.
thrust of the steel, jumped up and started off at full speed ThJ« «
tion was so nstantaneous th-if fi,^ ^ u j '^''/"'^ speed. Ihisac-
t,™.i.r, Zl^'T *'i: P^""^' presenting a scene at once comical and
howe";; tosL'.r"''"''*'"" ''''''^^^" P"^'«»'^' -''^^cely hoping,
i-^^mlltZlM^rT ^--^^"o^tful death. Good'fo?:
not abandon him m this sera extremity, for after running a
- J •"I
^ 1
''it '
: 'ti
'' ^^ii_L^!OL
610
SfiA AND LAND.
short distance the rhinoceros stopped short, being now well spc^nt l»v
reason of the mortal wound he hud received, und tstood still until tho
hunters came up nnd fired another bull into liiu body, which ended its
career. The ri(hi was so frenzied with fear that he made no atteuipt
to leap from the rhinoceros when it came to a halt, but maiutuiiud
his seat until the aniina! dropped dead.
OHARQED AND LACERATED BY A RHINOCEROS.
In the preceding pages I quoted from Mr. Andersson's " Lake
Ngami " an .•• count which hega\cof his marvelouH escape fioni a
huge bull-elephant that so nearly trampled on him that he hud to
scramble from between its legs. On the same night that this adven-
ture befell him he passed through a yet more thrilling experience,
which he relates as follows:
" Whilst pondering over my lato wonderful escape, I observed at a
little distance a huge white rhinoceros protrude his ponderous jiikI
misshapen head through the bushes, and presently afterwards lu ap-
proached to within a dozen paces of my ambuscade. His bn idsidc
was then fully exposed to view, and, notwithstanding I still felt a lit-
tle nervous from my conflict with the elephant, I lost no time in tir-
ing. The beast did not at once fall to the ground, but from a{)peai-
ances I had every reason to believe he would not live long.
'* Scarcely had I reloaded when a black rhinoceros of the spocios
keitloa (a female as it proved), stood drinking at the water; but her
position, as with the elephant in the first instance, was unfavoralijo
foi a good shot. As, however, she was very near me, I thought 1
was pretty sure of breaking her leg, and thereby disabling her, ami
in this I succeeded. My tire seemed to madden her; she rushed
wildly forward on three legs, when I gave her a second shot, though
apparently with little or no effect. I felt sorry at not being able td
end her sufferings at once ; but as 1 was too well acquainted with the
habits of the rhinoceros to venture on pursuing her under the circum-
stances, I determined to wait patiently for daylight, and to destroy
her with the aid of my dogs. But it was not to be.
♦' As no more elephants or other large game appeared, I thought
after a time it might be well to go in search for the white rhinocerosi,
previously wounded, and I was not long finding her carcass; for my
ball, as I supposed, had caused almost immediate death.
♦' In heading back to my skarm I accidentally took a turn in the di-
rection pursued by the black rhinoceros, and by ill luck, as the even
ing now well Hp(Mit liv
id stood .still until tlii?
body, which ended its
at ho mude no utteuipt
halt, but tnaiutuiiu'd
<00ERO8.
AndersHon's " Luke
velouw escape from a
1 him that he hnd to
night that this advcii-
thrilling exporit'iicc,
iscape, I observed at a
le his ponderous and
itly afterwards In a|)-
cade. His bn .dsjdc
nding I .still felt a lit-
, I lost no time in fir-
md, but from aijpeai-
»t live long,
loceros of the spocies
at the water ; hut her
nee, was unfavorahle
near me, I thought 1
by disabling her, and
den her; she rushed
I second shot, though
' at not being able to
II acquainted with the
her under the circum-
light, and to destroy
I be.
J appeared, I thought
the white rhinoceros,
her carcass ; for my
te death.
took a turn in the di-
' ill luck, as the even
THE WORLD ASHORE.
proved, at once encountered hor. Sh
en
l"-tion, as I.ef<,..e, .as still unfa^^^:''!;;;;,-;: 'f^' ^"^ '^^
uwie. Mopnig, liowever, to
%,
make her ch
id
fl
»t once, I took
ange it for a bett
u
ei', and thus en.i[)le me to destroy her
\i a stone anc} hurled ,t ftt he
!• with all m^ force;
622
SEA AND LAND.
when, snorting horridly and erecting her tail, keeping her head close to
the ground, and raising clouds of dust by her feet, she rushed at mo
with fearful fury. I had only just time to load my rifle and fire bo-
fore she was upon me, and the next instant, while instinctively turn-
ing round for the purpose of retreating, she laid me prostrate. The
shock was so violent as to send my I'ifle, powder-flask and ball-pouch,
as also my cap, spinning in the air; the gun, indeed, as afterwards
ascertained, to a distance of fully ten feet. On the beast charjrin«>-
me it crossed my mind that, unless gored by the horn,. her iinpotus
would be such (after knocking me down, which I took for granted
would be the case) as to carry her beyonc^ me, and I might thus bo
afforded a clnuute of escape. So, ii 'cod, it hai)pened ; for, haviii<r
tumbled me over (in doing which her head and tiie fore-part of lici
body, owing to ihe violence of the charge, were buried in the sand),
and trampled on me with great violence, her fore-quarters passed
over my body. Struggling for life, I seized my opportunity, and as
she was recovering herself for a renewal of the charge, I scrainhkd
out betv/een her hind legs.
'• But the enraged beast had not yet done with me. Scarcely had
I regained my feet before she struck me down a second time, and
with her horn ripped up my right thigh (though not very deeply)
from near the knee to the hip ; with her fore-feet, moreover, she hit
me a terrific blow on the left shoulder near the back of the neck.
My ribs bent under the enormous weight and pressure, and for a mo-
ment, I must, I believe, have lost consciousness — I have, at least,
very indistinct notions of what afterwards took place. All I remem-
ber is, that when I raised my head, I heard a furious snorting and
plunging among the neighboring bushes. I now arose, though with
great difficulty, and made my way, in the best manner I was able, to-
wards a large tree near at hand for shelter; but this precaution was
needless; the beast, for the time at least, showed no inclination
further to molest me. Either in the melee, or owing to the confnsion
caused by her wounds, she had lost sight of me, or she felt satisfied
with the revenge she had taken. Be that as it may, I escaped with
life, though sadly wounded and severely bruised, in which disabled
state I had great difficulty in getting back to my skarm.
"OOOD OODi THE BR TE HAS ATTACKED THE LAD ALSQl "
•• During the greater part of the conflict I preserved my presence
of wind J but after the da'i^er wu9 over, an<l when J bad lei«ure to
THE WORLD ASHORE.
623
collect my scattered and confused sonso< t
affection, causing a violent t.o . hi . J [T """ -^"^ '" "^''^""^
noceri, as well f(,r sport us fnJilT ""*'^ '^'"^^ '"«"J 'ti-
.:.>;.« a.a. ,.«.. u' • :: ::„::;: ;r :r: ,;;:* '•'"-" '"^''™ ^
"About sunrise, Kamapvu, mv Jnlf rLJ \
vinccd iiini I was not joliino-. ^ g'l^'ied tliigh soon con-
" I afterwards dlvortt.tl in't.. * i. i
.cud, of ,ho wo.tc ed i- CO . : "':■: "' "'" """^ """ ""--" in
distress. Striivino- niv l.-.n,? . • , "'"'*^'' ^'""' I J'eard a crv of
two or three hundml vanls ■, J^,„. '■ i , ^ '""' P'"™eded
^1.^11 vividly ren,e„,l,o; , ;„ ,t ,r ""^'^ "'■^•■:'""«' ''-If "-t I
.im.oocms and the you,,.- »,-,vL. „ f * <"1'<"-. «tood tlio
tin... I..g,s e„ve,.ed with 1,h di:,'., .m? ::: """"';r''"": '"•'■^■■■" ""
f««-iou3 .oanne,-, the hitto,' o.iHK u /"" '"*'' '" "'" n'"»t
itwe,c_„.d riveted „ te^r "" '';"-""""■'""""'• "»
"f the rhinoee,.,, «pn„,ite •!, T, ' 7'""^' ^'"'■'f"'-o< U, ,he si.le
lbi> l)east ehaiwd wihllv ,o 1 ,1 f m ''' "'"' «'«'. "n "Ineh
Wl.il»Uhowa.,ku.,„c' id 1 •""'"" ""' '"^"'"■' "''i-»-
»li« would never f.,|| T ' T '" "''"' "'"^'•»'"'M".t tliought
'^".."..Mva, over, I^v^lke,.„ :•,•''■;■ *'""' "«""'-.»-<} that all
"■« .7" of ..ajin, th:",i;':t:"::t :::;■:!: ::.":■■' """ r '-
""/' <(e grace, when, to my h„r,v„- If '" «"'" '""' "'"
T»ki..« a harried aim I null 17 h '"""' ''"«' '"' '»'• l"g»-
-"■ ««= bea,t i„ full p, ,. i '.Ph! ''™T' "'"' '"*""'^ '■«'™"^<'.
f"r, ia»ta, I threw .n^lf i - ■'"r' "™™''' ""■' " ^ '"« "no :
'■«t, so uear me," iadee; hat 1 1 T,", ' '"''"'' ""' '"" '''"-^ '" '"y
iik of my rifle ' IZit! ' '"""' •"""'"■'' ''^'- "i"' 'l>e n,"^-
y "He . Another moment aud I should ,,r„bal,ly have bee,,
.♦
"51
f
m |u,
624
8EA AND LAND.
impaled on her murderous horn, which, though short, was sharp as
a razor."
A THRILLINQLY EXOITINQ RHINOCEROS HUNT.
lu a previous chapter I reproduced Sir Samuel Baker's defscripilon
of the manner in which the aggageers (Abyssinian sword-hunters)
killed a huge bull-elephant ; I have now to introduce these famously
courageous sportsmen again as hunters of the rhinoceros, quoting
from Baker the following thrilling description of a chase after two
fierce animals :
*' We were thus leisurely returning home through alternate plains
and low, open forests of mimosa, when Taher Sherrif , who was lead-
ing the party, suddenly reined up his horse and pointed to a thick
bush, beneath which was a large gray, but shapeless, mass. Hi-
whispered, as I drew near, ' Oomgurrin ' (mother of the horn), their
name for the rhinoceros. I immediately dismounted, and with the
short No. lOTotham rifle, | advanced as near as I could, followed bv
Suleiman, as I had sent all my gun-bearers direct home by the river
when we had commenced this circalt. As I drew near, I discovered
two rhinoceri asleep beneath a thick mass of bushes ; they were lyiiiir
like pigs, close together, so that at a distance I had been unable to
distinguish any exact form. It was an awkward place, for if I were to
take the wind fairly, I should have to fire through the thick bush,
which would be useless ; therefore, I was compelled to advance with
the wind direct from me to them. The aggageers remained about a
hundred yards distant, while I told Suleiman to return and hold my
horse in readiness with his own. I then walked quietly to within
about thirty yards of the rhinoceri, but so curiously were they lying
that it was useless to attempt a shot. In their happy dreams they
must have been suddenly disturbed by the scent of an enemy, for,
without the least warning, they suddenly sprang to their feet with
astonishing quickness, and with a loud and sharp whiff, whiff, whiff!
one of them charged straight at me. I fired my right-hand barrel in
his throat, as it was useless to aim at the head, protected by two
horns at the nose. This turned ^im, but had no other effect, and the
two animals thundered off together at a tremendous pace.
♦♦ • Now for a tally-ho I' Our stock of guns was scattered on the
ground, and away went the aggageers in full speed after the rhinoceri
j_;i.t-_..i.
tVIvii wUL
:*.:, — i.,.
rctOnu.
T .:„i.!.. 4. — I ..,,. 1 _ 'r„*„!
1 t|ui^nij' iciiiuuiilcu iiiy inxinc, -icici,
Hpd, with ^uleiqian in pompany, I spuri'fsd har4 to pyei'take the living
THE WORLD ASHORE.
Arabs. Tetel was a good, stron- cob b„f n.f
believe he never we^^t so well ^s u.'>o^, . . 7"^ ^''' ' '^''^«^«^-' ^
Abyssinian horse, I hud a r^ • of F ^ ^^^^ f-r, although an
.nissionaries, but with a n^^^^^^rT^''''' '''''''''' ''^
ward for riding at full speed us if « ^'''""^ ^^«« ^^^k^
which, although „id„ apkrtt: ■ e rdii:,n: „':■? -' """"--•
l"w cro,v„s of spreading Lynches ; th'eso b<^i 1, '^ ' ""'"^ '° "■"
thorns, would liave boen serious oTl'r^ "'""'' '""'fl»h-h"ok -
view, until in al.out a u"iler , ,- iv d '"'''' ' '"'" ""' ^'"^^ '"
applied the spurs, „„d by deZ^e I In, ' " T" ^'"'""'- ' ">'»'''
at length, joined the aggage^rs ' "' "'™^' «="""'«• •""" i.
Here was a s.ght to drive a hunter wild . The two K-
were runrung neck and neck, like a n-iimf i.' i-hmocori
bounding along at tre„.endo„s peed ^W W,? *""•'»''" '■■"'■'"'^''' '""
hamran. This was Taher Sl,e,Hf ? i ^'"''''' "^ ""> '""d"'?
i.=s iong hair «,,„g wiidl^^ettd'hi': ':;i::;t t:^ ''™:i".' -^
race, amidst a cloud of dust raised bv .h^r . '"''"""''^ <" "«'
that tried every sinew of thTlI Z" '"«" *"" "'■■">"' ''*■'««.
withered arm, was second „• ,h 1" ^"'"'' ^'""■'■'' """ "«=
claw that was all that remained ;thrrH;"' ■"','"" "" ''"■''-'''«=
grasped in his right, he kept Ift; t b'rothcr"" !'" ""^"^ "<»■''
blow. Abou Do was third ■ his haiV fl ' '""^^ '" '""""^ his
dashing against the flanks of is C^'';:::" ,'«:'"f-'''^ "-'»
excitement to urge him to the fr< t wl I'e h' ^' ''"""«'' '" ""'^
long sword, i„ the wild energy , ,Z" I '' ^'"'""'^ "'"' ^'"
reach the game against T;^J^J^'"ZX t^'^'T"' '"
thcc, vigorously applied, screwed an extrf2dr > f%T''" "'"' ""
found myself iu the ruck of „,.„ k , "' "' ^<"«'' I^oon
weresev^nof us-a:d I ;:g'^brDo":Lt7" ''"'"''■ '"'''"
™n of agony „t <,,„,,„',„, ,|^ ho se^™ f i n„ Tarn"" ^f P^""
a place between the two broth,.,-, T..I. ■ „^' ^"'"'''•'' "Mi'Med
had been a jealousy betlee h t ' ""'" "'"'"'■ ^^''•■"^- There
>™» ^trivin^ to oufdo t : h tts TuT ' "-T '■^' "'"^ <=■""
nmdness at the superiority J V," ^" ~» driven almost to
wa» the renowned"™ e?, ,1 f •""' ' T' ""'» «"' ''«'<^'-. «''.i
*""ld be first to t s™ b,,»d I ; rdT" '""^T"''- ''"" '"-""■■"
i.ff . . idsie oioou. 1 tried to pass the i-hinn.,eroo ^., ...._
B' , ;. .5?rBa
626
THE WORLD ASHORE.
627
along with undiminished speed. Wifh ih.
men and horses we could onW ... • greatest exertion of
or four yard, of the^t Is^tT:'" J ""Tl "■'"'" "'""" "'-'
only chance in the race was to hoW tl "' ""' *"'>'•''»• ™e
should begin to fla<. Thrh„!l '"""' ""*" ""^ '''■'"''"^■■i
we had aiLdy n.^ JXT^ClSZt '" '',r'^ """-'• ""'
of giving in. On they flew _ sometTAl ^ " "'""""' "" ^^ns
through low brush, which tried Thtr "'"'' °''""' S™""''' "'»' 'hen
strips of open fo.-eLt, until a en^': the'Tn..^"'''/'"" '^'■'"'="''
only a select few kept their places W. -^ ^^^ '" *"'' "«• »■«>
ridge, from which the ground slled i,^ I"^ "' """ »""'»'* "^ "
a mile toward, the rif^ at h^l " fT'" '''"''■''''"''" '^ "''''ut
thorny nabbuk Jung "fo'r which t °. V'^ '■'"'"'"' ""' " ">iek,
luessed at their u.,n;,^' ed Nevf.'w t" "•'™'' *'"' ''^^
thefluishofarace; the e'J h was ^n yZ t" ''T ^™""""^
winning post in the junglethatmusc termi™ e^h" hunt " ''"TV'"
our exertions to close with the unflaggb^'Ll; tv ""''"f''''
gave in — we had been foral,„„t* ''°' '" Same, buleinian's horse
Tetel, although not a It h «' waTlTd C'fr ,"' " ■^'"'■'^ ?-•
proved his power of endurance fr i ''"""""=• "•«"^''™''
(twenty.igh';pounds)r:vrertLra ;:? li:;^: '-i;- --
rider,, ^ns^springing'to" hi g tV, ^Z Z """"l""' "'"*"'
liand, he forsook his tired horse and TJi u ''"""'' '""'■'' '"
like an antelope and, for the fci ^und 'S 5'^""^.!' "' "'"
really pass us, and win the honor o' & t blow tV f '"' """"^^
pace was too severe and thon<.h rL . *'" "' "" "*<■ ■ ">«
to give way to the horl ^ t^;:! oltn "''j*.,'" T "'"'''''
Taher Sherrif and his brother Rn^ T *'"' ""' ■''""oeeri -
.ogive the second ;ia: to 'R^dur'areTa- ""O"-" ""'g^O
weight; but I was a close third tLI./ " "'"' """'key in
neared the jungle, and the rh nterf beVan'trr "" """"^ " "»
.» the dust puffed up before htfr „!!., »''"«' ^'t-^ of flagging,
ithin^wo'^u'rrva'::::;- r/j^^r.Tutt t '-'■' ^"^^
nse ttiorns, aq4 th,j ^-I^inopen broke into a trotj they
^.y
.. s,
()28
I
SKA ai;d land.
were done. ' Now, Tahcr, f or-r-a-a-r-r-d I f or-r-a-a-i-i-d Taher .
Away he went - he was close to the vei-y heels of the beasts ; but his
horse could do no moio than his present pace; still he gained upon
the nearest; he leaneo urward with his sword raised for the- blow _
another moment and the jungle would be reached ! One effort more,
und the .word flashed in the sunshine, as the nearest rhmoceros d..-
appeared in the thick screen of thorns, with a gash about four f .t
Ion- upon his hindquarters. Taher Shen.f shook his bloody sworci ,n
triumph above his head; but the rhinovcri were gone ^e were
fairly beaten ; regularly outpaced; but I l>elieve another two hund>o<l
yards would have given us the victory. * Bvavo, Taher ! I shouted
He had ridden splendidly and his blow had b-nmanoUmslydehvorod
at an extremely long reach, as he was nearly out of his saddle when
he sprang forward to enable the blade to a',Min a cv^^ ai thn la.i
moment. He oould not reach the Lamstring, as his horse eonid hot
gain thB proper position.
- Taher Sherrif explainca th;. : t all f hnes the rhmoceros was the
most difficult aninuil to saber .v, account of his extraordinary swift-
ness, and, although he had kilh-d many with the sword, it was ..ways
after a long and fatigmng hunt; at the close of which, the annual
becoming tired, generally turned to bay, in which case one hunt ■ oc-
cui-^d his attention, while another galloped up behind, and so v red
the hnm-string. The rhinoceros, unlike the elephant, can go v ry
well on :hree legs; which enhances the danger, as one cut will n.t
utterly di«ible him."
FURIOUS DISPOSITION OF THE RHINOCEROS
The two-horned black rhinoceros, as already observed, is an ex-
tremelv fierce animal, apparently considering all creatures its enemies
Tt has been frequently observed by experienced hunters that thus n.iul
animal will nearly always charge down upon any object that it smells
but does not see; thus, when the animal is concealed either m high
crrass or thick junale, should it scent a man who may be passing un-
seen to windward,^it will rush down furiously upon the object it has
winded, with three loud whiffs resembling a jet of steam from a safety-
valve As it is most difficult, in fact next to impossible, to kill a
rhinoceros when charging, he is a particularly unpleasant strangeito
thus suddenly meet, iiaker had an expencnee of this kin<l ^noe
which gave him a fright which he was a long time in recovering _
While passing over some exr.-nely rough country, o-ven rAu
THE WO:lD ashore. ggj,
with the uggagee...hu„t:rr to Uabil'T^Ln ^"'"f -"'«"»?
extremely unpleasant an attaek of Z be.« !^i„i;. ''^'"«''°"'
broken distriet, he was .uddenlvstartLd by the" t T:,'" '""' "
vhifl, whiff, and the great beast caJe fnnde , l^ntt "^^
.town upon hin. in a determined char.re '""""'""S "»' of a thicket
giving battle, as the eoneern of get" f'' aw^v wn ^"u "° ''""' '^" '"■•
<i.ig the spurs into his horse's flanll I I 7^ ™ "nportant. He
nook he started the rett::: b.f:dtC int^^fo ^^ Th"" '"
horse -'''::^^^^^^^^^^^^''^:z:..!^z;^
VICIOUS CHARGE OF AN INFURIATED RHINOCE^
!;ri:t;r b!n:;r stts':;! t'h "'""'"^'' "" "-'-^ "- •^^
caed to rip him in the rea^ Th ° """"" ""'""" """ "'™'-
..f .hem w'as knoeked ^ er bj L^CroTbutlT"'" T'l "'"
ened that no attempt was afterwards made to bring theanimal to bay
THE NERVE REQUIRED TO SLAV A RHINOCEROS.
will flee
Snm„t™ T "'Wi'^O TO SLAT A RHINOCEROS.
b^TtZll '" .Ti! 1'™' ■' """"™ *•"" "- ''>'''"-™ -ill floe
except oTto . hi , "°"""' "" '""""™' ""■«'' '"' his sport, but
mrs,, f ^ " ^^ "" '""'"'' "•"■•« ' "«'«<'d, no other an mal
clMige., so furiously nor so frequently as the rhinoceros, and si«e U
\m
V'ii
^*1
t -i
1
630
8EA A.JD LAND.
is the mo8t difficult of all brutes to kill, the hunter who follows
rhinoceros shooting must possess most remarkuble nerve, a quick sight
and the activity of an acrobat. The hide of the rhinoceros is less
than an inch in thickness, but it is so extremely tough that it requires
an extraordinary force to penetrate it. The head, though largo,
may be perforated by an ordinary bullet, yet, owing to the remarkii-
ble smallness of the brain, which is largely protected by the horn,
a head shot is perhaps the least likely to prove fatal.
When the game is dangerous and a perfect shot is necessary the
greatest amount of nerve is required. The rhinoceros presents but
one seriously vulnerable place — behind the shoulder — and to strike
this spot fatally the hunter must be close to the animal. A wound is
nearlj' always followed by a furious charge, and what on earth can be
more terrible than a thrust from a horn four feet long and with a point
as keen as a saber? Or, sl^ould the animal miss in striking his hor-
rible weapon, there is the ponderous body thundering on like a loco-
motive on the down grade in front of a heavy freight train, most
likely to grind the hunter into a mangled mass.
Few, if any men, have exhibited greater courage and coolness un-
der desperate situations than Sir Samuel Baker, the greater part of
his life being spent among savage people and in pursuit of the noblest
game of the iungle. His adventures and hair-breadth escapes, for-
tunately published in many books, are an unending source of inter-
est, and will be read with a thrill of delight by every one who ad-
mires pluck and daring, for centuries to come. For this reason I
am continually tempted to quote from his marvelous records the
thrilling experiences of his life. As an illustration of the nerve he
possessed, the following incident, extracted from his "Nile Tributa-
ries of Abyssinia," will serve admirably:
««**** To my astonishment there were the fresh tracks
of a rhinoceros within a quarter of a mile of the camp ; this animal
must have concealed itself in the bed of the Royan during the fire,
and had wandered forth when it had passed. I followed up the
tracks with Bacheet and two of my Tokrooris. In less than half a
mile from the spot, I found it lying down behind a bush. Creeping
under cover of an ant-hill, I shot it through the shoulder with a
Reilly No. 10 ; it immediately galloped off, but after running a couple
of hundred yards it Jay down on the edge of a thick, thorny jungle
that bordered the margin of the Royan. I waited in the expectation
who follows
, a quick sight
jceros is less
lat it requires
:hou<^h large,
the remarkii-
by the horu,
necessary tho
presents but
-and to strike
A wound is
n earth can be
d with a point
iking his hor-
)n like a loco-
it train, most
1 coolness un-
i-eater part of
>f the noblest
escapes, for-
urce of inter-
one who iid-
thls reason I
18 I'ecords the
the nerve he
■' Nile Tributa-
e fresh tracks
> ; this animal
iring the fire,
I lowed up the
ss than half a
ish. Creeping
oulder with a
Qning a couple
thorny jungle
he expectation
,''irt
L9£HMHHiHl
681
682
SEA AND LAND.
that it would shortly dio, but it suddenly rose and walked slowly Into
the thorns. Determined to cut off his retreat, I pir hed through tlio
hushes, intending to loiich the dry bed of the Royan and shoot tlio
rhinoceros as it crossed from the narrow beltof the jungle, int(» wliicli
it had retreated; but I had hardly rovrh^^f^ half way when I heard u
sound in the bush upon my righ*- u > • „ ihe wounded beast coaj-
ing straight for our position, hut eviuLuliy unconscious of our pres-
ence, as we wore to leeward. I immediately crouched down, a« did
my men likewise, lest the animal should observe us. Slowly, but
surely, it came on exactly to^vards us, until it was at last so near its
to be unpleasant. I looked I)ehind me and sif " ' xpression of
my men that they weie thinking of retreat. I merely shook my fist
and frowned at them to give them confidence, and I waited patiently
for my opportunit}! . It was becoming too ridiculous; the rhinoceros
was within five or si):, yards, and was slowly but steadily advancing
direct upon us ; af: the next step that he made I raised my rifle to my
shoulder and wh stled sharply; in an instant it tossed its head up,
and seeing nothing ii front, as my clothes matched with the leafless
branches, it turned its head to the left, and I immediately pulled the
trigger. It fell as though smitten by a sledge hammer and lay struL'-
gKng on the ground. Bacheet sprang forwani, and with an Aral)
sword cut the hamstring of one leg. To the astonishment of ua ull,
the rhinoceros jt niped up, and on three legs it sprang quickly round
and charged Bacheet, who skipped into the bushes, while I ran along-
side the rhinoceros as it attempted to follow him, and, with the
Fletcher No. 24, I fired through the shoulder, by placing the muzzle
within a yard of the animal. It fell dead t(> the shot, '^vhich was au-
other feather in the cap of the rood little rifle This rhinoceros had
no ears, they having been bitteu iff cose to l..o head by another of
the same species, while fighting. This mutilation is by no means un-
common."
AN EXCITINO HUNT, AND TWO PHINOOERI OLf V "RLY BAQOEO.
A few days after the occurrence just related, P :ker participated
with the Arab hunters in another chase after .uinocefi, in which
all the honor fell to him of bagging tw \ov rous brutes. The
country in which he w 's hunting being cov id th tall, rank ;.iuss,
so thick as to obscure any animal that mi^iit be passing throu;. n,
Baker deteruiined to render the surface bare by setting fire to me
dry vegetation, which being carried into effect, a wonderful scene
|^^-1^:f
THB WORLD ASHO^Ij.
633
derful scene
»itK the ..„pid,-.,„f ,. .loVt:, ;":,,'' :*■;:;;;;:,;' ;^^
boused or browsing i„ ihe eras, ,ori„^ th . I "'"' '"•■''■
it portended, hro.f ..„,„ tC::::!d'!: e^ rw^'itrr,:^''
.....elope-. bleebok, pulluh,. hyenas, .eop'rd,. I on rhleer ^^
n.»ny other lends of game, so that the scene constitu ed a pum r, a
of cxtraordmary .nterest. T,vo days after the fire had sZ
.;na the base Of whie^'C-l'dXTd tirZ^^^^
TOEMRINO FOR THE 0HA8E.
I had been observing the countrv for so,„e time from my hi..h
pos,t,on, when suddenly I perceived two rhinoceri omer" from !
™y,„e, they walked slowly through a patch of hi.h fjsla
*r,ed the base „f the hill upon which we were standh.grpTes'e, tlv
they wmded something, and they trotted back and sto^d « , ce d
.n the puteh of grass. Although I had a good view of them f om
mypre. .,t pos.t on, I knew that I should not be able to 'e" .hem
«the,r.-.ert, if on the same level; I therefore determine I to 'd
to he ten. .or my other horses, and to ride then, down, i c ,u d
to le, d Tet l.om the peak and to secure him to a tree at the foot of
»ky luie. This he u, ., and we saw him tie the horse by the bridle to
he branch of a tree below us, while he ran quickly toward the can, ,
ntemeanumel watched the rh„,oceri ; both animals laid dow;
the ydlow grass resembling masses of stone. They had n„t 1,,.
ongmth.s position before we noticed two pigs wandering throe-,-
^grass directly ,„ windward, toward the sle'p'ing rhinocfri; T' .
« ant these animals winded the intruders, and starting up, looked
the high grass. H.vmg been thus disturbed, the rhinoceri moved
theirquarlers, and walked ,tnwi» f ■> ;- n ." '""'"'°
l|. . "v ■■•'■' 'u, j-jcuslonally nalliujr, and
ihevwle .1""""^°"'" '■""'''•'''' y'""' '" '"'™ '" »' "><^ other,
them directly on the spot where Tetel a .tied to the tree. I observed
^.^i^aiiLj
"XM
634
BfiA AND LAND I
liatiJHaiMi^,_.j!'::ii
this to TahorNoor, as I feared tlioy would kill the lioi*8e. «Oh,no,'
he replied ; ' they will lie down and sleep beneath the first tree, as
they are seeking for shade — the sun is like fire.' Ilowewr.they si ill
continued their advaneo, and, upon renciiing some rising ground, llic
leading rhinoceros halted, and 1 felt sure he had a clear view of -Ik'
horse, that was now about five hundred yards distant, tied to a Ikc.
A ridge descended from the hill, parallel with the course the animals
were taking ; upon this I ran as qui<^kly as the stony slope perniittcil,
keeping my eye fixed on the leading rhinoceros, who with his lead
raised, was advancing directly toward the horse. Tetel did not oi).
serve the rhinoceros, but was quietly standing beneath the tree. I
ran as fast as I was able, and reached the bottom of the hill just as
the willful brute was wi' bin fifty yards of the horse, which now for
the first time saw the approaching danger ; the rhinoceros had bocii
advancing steadily at a walk, but he now lowered his head, aiul
charged at the horse at full speed.
"I was about two hundred yards distant, and for the moment I was
afraid of shooting the horse, but T fired one of the Reilly No. 10 riHcs;
the bullet, missing the rhinoceros, dashed the sand and stones into
his face, as it struck the ground exactly before his nose, when he
appeared to be just upon the unfortunate Tetel. The horse in the
same instant reared and, breaking the bridle, dashed away in the
direction of the camp, while the rhinoceros, astonished at the shot,
and most likely half-blinded by the sand and splinters of rock, throw-
up his head, turned round, and trotted back upon the track by which
he had arrived. He passed me at about a Ijundred yards distance, as
I had run forward to a bush, by which ho trotted with his head
raised, seekinjr for the cause of his discomfiture. Crack! wont a
bullet against his side, as I fired my remaining barrel at his shoulder;
I e cocked his tail, and for a few yards he charged towards the shot;
b it he suddenly changed his course, and ran round several times in a
srnall circle ; ho then halted, and reeling to and fro, he retreated very
slowly, and laid down about a hundred yards off. Well done, Keilly'
I knew that he had his quietus, but I was determined to hag hii
companion, who, in alarm, had now joined him, and stood looking ii
all quarters for the source of danger ; but we were well concealed
behiud the bush. Presently, the wounded rhinoceros stood up, aid
walki.ig very slowly, followed by hia comrade, he crossed a porti')D
of rising ground at the base of the hill, and both animals disappeared.
'«stete.|l,
moment I was
^No. 10 rifles;
lid stones iuto
Qose, when he
16 horse in tiio
I away in the
1 at the shot,
;)f rock, threw
i-ack by which
:Js distance, as
with his head
Jrack ! went a
; his shoulder;
irds the shot;
eral times in a
retreated very
1 done,lleilly'
ed to bag hit
)od h)(>kiiigii
veil concealed
stood u{), aiii
■"., -
if ? I
r ■>' '(!;
riti Al^'-'ji
685
636
SEA AND LAND.
I at once stwrted off Hassan, who could run like an antelope, in search
of Tetel, while I dispatched another man to the summit of the peak
to see if the rhinoceri were in view ; if not, I knew they must l»o
among the small trees and bushes at the foot of the hid. I thus
waited a long time, until at length the two grays arrived witii my
messenger from the camp. I tightened the girths of the Arab saddle
upon Aggahr, and had just mounted, cursing all Arab stirrups, tlmt
are only made for the naked big toe, when my eyes were giaddoncd
by the sight of Hassan cantering towards me on Tetel, but from the
exact direction the rhinoceri had taken. 'Quick ! quick !' he dinl,
♦come along 1 one rhinoceros is lying dead close by, and the other is
standing beneath a tree not far off.'
" I immediately jumped on Tetel, and, taking the little Flctclun'
rifle, as lighter and handier than the heavy No. 10, I ordered Talni
Noor and Hassan to momit the other horses, and to follow nic wiih
spare rifles. I found tlie rhinoceros lying dead about two himdnd
yards from the spot where he had received the shot, and 1 im-
mediately perceived the companion, that was standing beneath a
small tree. The ground was firm and strong, all the grass had hcin
burnt off, except in a few small patches; the trees were not so thick
together as to form a re^jjiilar jungle.
"«♦ The rhinoceros saw us directly, and he valiantly stood and faced
me as I rode up witnin fifty yards of him. Tetel was worth his
weight in gold, as a shooting horse ; he stands like a rock, and would
face the devil. I was unable to take a shot in this position, there-
fore, I ordered the men to ride round a half-circle, as 1 knew the
rhinoceros would turn towards the gray horses, and thus exi)()sehis
flank ; this he did immed? .tely, and firing exactly at his shoulder, I
dropped him as though stone dead. Taher Noor shouted, ' Saninie
durrupto 1' (well shot) ; the rhinoceros lay kicking upon the ground,
and I thought he was nagged. Not a bit of it I the No. 24 bullet had
not force to break the massive shoulder-bone, but had merely para-
lyzed it foi a moment; up he jumped, and started off in full gallop.
Now for a bunt! up the hill he started, obliquely ; he chose a regular
rhinoceros path, and scudded away, Tetel answering to Uie spurs
and closing with him ; through the trees, now down the hill over tlie
loose rocks, where he gained considerably upon the hofsc. * Easy
down the hill, gently over the stones, Tetel,' and I took a pull at the
reins until I reached the level ground beneath, which .vas firm and
THE WORLD ASHORE.
637
M'-'fi
first-rate. Isavv the rhinoceros pelting awnv about one hundred and
twenty yards when round he came with astonishing quickness, and
charged straight at the horse. I was prepared for this, as was mv
horso also ; we avoided him by a quick turn, and again renewed the
chase, and rcgamed our position within a few yards of the game
Thus the hunt continued for about one n.ile and a half, the rhinoceros
occasionally charging, but always cleverly avoided by the horse
Tetd seemed to enjoy the fun, and hunted like a greyhound. Noverl
thcloss I had not been able to puss the rhinoceros, who had thundered
along at a tremendous pace wli<,never 1 had attempted to close • how
ever, the pace began to tell upoi his v;'ounded shoulder ; he evidontlv
went lame, and, as I had observed at some distance before us the
commencement of the dark-colored, rotten ground, I felt sure that it
would shortly be a case of stand-still. In this I was correct, and.
upon reaching the deep and crumbling sod, he turned sharp round
made a clumsy charge that I easily avoided, and he stood pantln<. at
Lay. laher Noor was riding Gazelle; this was a very timid horse
and was utterly useless as a hunter, but, as it reared and plun^red
upon seeing the rhinoceros, that animal immediately turned toward^'
It, with the intention of charging. Ridin- Tetel closely to his fl-mk'
1 firod both barrels of the little Fletcher into the shoulder. He fell to
the shots, and stretching out his legs convulsivelv, he died im-
mediately."
FURIOUS ONSLAUGHT OF A RHINOOER08.
Bains relates the particulars of a charge made by a fierce rhinoc-
eros among his dogs, and the desperate extremity to which he was
put to save his own life, as follows:
"I hid gone out the next morning soon after sunrise to look
round the ...mp, when I saw several birds of a grayish color, about the
size of a common thrush. Their notes, too, reminded me, as they
•sang then- morning song, of a mistletoe thrush. Presently they flew
off together some way up the stream, while I and my gunbearersand
our pack of dogs followed after, feeling certain that the birds, which
arc found to generally attend the rhinoceros, would lead us to some
Liggame. Directly after wo saw the birds pitch behind a neio-hhor-
Hig hush, and, getting to one side of it there, sure enough, was alarge,
black i hmoccros, or. whose back were now perched the birds. These
hnds also occasionally follow the hippopotamus, and invariably give
warning to their beast friend of approaching dan'-er.
i 1 M
A-,,
63B
SEA AND LAND.
"At the moment of discovery the birds began flying up and uttering
their familiar cry, when immediately the rhinoceros became startled and
moved off without at first perceiving in what direction the danger
lay. The dogs, at the same instant, saw the animal and started off
with a bound, but their valor was hardly coupled with prudence, for
as they closed in on the beast one of them was quickly hurled some
yards, and badly wounded by the sharp horn of the rhinoceros, while
the others immediately scattered to avoid a like fate. The rhinoceros
now exhibited the most furious rage and came plunging at me; the
rifle that I carried was unsuited for such large game, nor did the
beast present a vantage shot, as he was coming head-on ; nevertheless I
fired, without effect, and to avoid a thrust from his cimeter-like horn,
A DISASTROUS CHARGE AMONG THE DOGS.
I plunged into the stream near the bunks of which I was standing, ard
thus avoided him, as instead of pursuing me in the wate.* he kept jn
after the dogs.
*« As the rhinoceros was making in the direction of oar wagon iiid
cattle I had some misgivings that he might charge thfm, as he was
evidently bent on glutting a savage revenge for our intrusioi'. I
shouted with the hope of attracting the attention o? those left in
camp, but they were otherwise apprised of the cKarg ng rhim.ceros
soon enough, for the animal never stopped until he ha i attacked the
wagon in the rear, and broke it up so badly that two d.-ys' har 1 work
were required to repair it; following which, hi mad? a fie ce on-
slaught upon the horses, one of which, the ieuler, ie kiii.u by a
single thrust; of k\a terrible horn, But th* brute s attick w^s
and uttering
e startled and
THE WORLD ASHORE.
639
promptly met by two of the servants whn fi.o^ *i •
THE RHINOCEROS -BIRD.
A very singular creature is the lihinoceros Rh^^ ,„i
" C/a.^'^....," as the rhinoceros is called J ,,^""f, ^'''''^^
by the Bechuanas, may slumber with the ^' ^■''^'^ ^^--'^^^^
serenity of a general who lies before an
enemy with faithful sentinels on watch, f^T^WMWW^f^'^'
for at the first intimation of danger the'
devoted bird flies up and utters hi? shrill
cry of warning, and repeats it until his
friend awakens, when, understanding the
call, the beast immediately makes'' off.
^.:^-,
(i^
■■w:':'., . -i- y.
«i'^:t<.'
'W^
W^\$>
^j=iz
%:■
A RHINOCEROS' MAD CHARGE UPON A TEAM.
"*f ":T ^°'""'*""<=?.^-' --> -'«■•« »" the dead limb of a tree
" uta„„" ."r; '" *'""' ""-'^ *'" "'■»^"''- "-y be certain that
uiuRaioo 18 not far away, and is sleeping.
wl,w;"led''f„7'; " ?"' """' '■"""=<' " ■■''■""™'™ o" '■"■■-'"'Ok.
Wo.o l,e fell, du„„g whieh cin,se several of these birds remained V v
the rianoceros to the lfls;t. Th -.„.!-.--.■ i "» ■c.nainea y
diTkof«„m„t 1 •,."'" ' "-J "="■'"">=" "le of manners o:i the
b ka„d"T^ ™il...g o,-. .he oeean,for they perehed .'.on? his
buck .U sides, anda» ,aeb of my bunet, Vol^ om (neshouldm-of
.1.
h '.'*
'f-'-M
640
SEA AND LAND.
the rhinoceros, they ascended about six feet into the air, uttering
their harsh crv of alarm, and then resumed their positions. It some-
times happened that the lower branches of a tree swept them from
their living deck, but they always recovered their former station.
They also adhere to the rhinoceros during the night. I have often
shot these animals at midnight when drinking at the fountains, and
the birds, imagining they were asleep, remained with them till morn-
ing, and on my approaching, before taking flight, they exerted
themselves to the utmost to awaken chukuroo from his deep sleep."
OUMMINO 18 VANQUISHED BY A RHINOCEROS.
As great a hunter as Gordon Gumming, whose exploits fully entitle
him to the distinguished reputation he bears, had to acknowledge a
total defeat by a black rhinoceros, the fury of which was enough to
terrify a battalion of huntere. His description of the rout he .suf-
fered is as follows :
" On the 22nd, ordering my men to move on toward a fountain in
the center of the plain, I rode forth with Ruyter, and held cast
through a grove of lofty and spreading mimosas, most of which were
more or less damaged by the gigantic strength of a troop of elephants
which had passed there twelve months before. Having proceeded
about twelve miles with large herds of game on every side, I observed
a crusty-looking old bull horela, or black rhinoceros, cocking his ears
one hundred yards in advance. He had not noticed us; and soon
after walked slowly toward our position and stood broadside, eating
some wait-a-bit thorns within fifty yards of us. I fired from my
saddle, and sent a bulletin behind his shoulder, upon which he rushed
forward about one hundred yards i« tremendous consternation, blow-
ing like a grampus, and then stood looking about him. .Presently he
made off. I followed but found it hard to come up with him. When
I finally evertook him, I saw that blood was running freely from his
wound.
"The chase led through a large herd of blue wildebeests, zebras
and springboks, which gazed at us in utter amazement At length I
fired my second barrel, but my horse was fidgety and I missed. I
continued to ride alongside of him, expecting in my ignonmec that
at length he would come to bay, which rhinoceri never do ; when sud-
denly lie fell flat on his broadside on the ground, but recovering his
feet, resumed his course as if nothing had happened. Beconrn.g ;it
lencrth annoyed at the length of the chase, as I wished to keep m^
THE WORLD ASHORE.
641
bed to keep ni^
hor.e, fresh for the eleph,,,,,,, u„d |,,ing hnliffnent whether I „,„
Ihe rh,n„ce,o.s or „„t ( y) „s I „l,s-orved tl,„t hi, h,.,„ ,v„ »„Z ,, ^
w„ age a, UUe violence of, us ,i.poMo„, I do , edrbZ
matters to a ci-isi« ; so .sMurrino' mv hoisp I ,u »,« i i ^ ^
.,ht h. M. ...... u, J ,h. the i:.tr J::;t:;;s^::tt
U
most resolute inan.er, blowing iou.JIy through his nostrils; and al-
though I qu>.kly wheeled a*.our to my left, he followod me ut «nch a
mn^. l.,ce for several huudn.l yards, with his horrid horny snout
thn, a few yards of my horse's tail, that n,y little Bushman, who
ivas loolang on in great alurin, thought his master's destruction in-
41 B
,1
, M
i « 1
>
!' -J-
642
SEA AND LAND.
evitable. It waa *jertainly a very near thing ; my horse w&fi extremely
afraid, and exerted his utmost energies on the occasion. The rhi-
noceros, however, wheeled about and continued his former course ;
and I, being perfectly sMtisfied with the interview, had no desire to
cultivate his acquaintance any further."
CAPTURE OF A RHINOCEROS CALF.
W. C. Baldwin, another famous African hunter, whose work en-
titled "African Hunting from Natal to the Zambesi," is a popular
addition to the adventurous literature descriptive of South Africa, has
given us some very entertaining accounts of his exploits, from which
I extract the following :
"We v.cre plowing our way through long, heavy, wet grass and
scrubby thorn trees, when an old rhinoceros cow got up slowly from
behind a thorn tree, and, after giving me a good stare, advanced to-
wards me. I had only* my small rifle, my gun-carrier being about
twenty yards behind with my No. 9. Lbeckoned frantically to him to
come on, but he seemed very undecided. At last, however, beiDga
plucky little fellow, he came up, threw the gun at me, case and all,
and ran up a tree like a monkey. I lost no time in getting the gun
out of the cover, and gave the rhinoceros a ball in the cheek. She
turned round in double-quick time, p vnting like a porpoise. I fol-
lowed, but a Kaffir cur prevented me from getting very near, so she
got away.
'« Or. climbing the top of the hill I saw two more, and sent my
Kaffir below them, thinking they were sure to make down hill. I
could not get near them ; but just as they were about to make off, I
shot one in the shoulder, but rather too low, and away they went.
The dogs turned one and brouarht him back not fifteen vards from
me at full trot, his head up and tail curled over his back, steppingout
in splendid style, with fine, high action. He looked very much in-
clined to charge me; but a bullet behind his shoulders, which
dropped him on his knee.<*, made him alter his course. I felt con-
vinced that I had killed him, and followed him. At last we saw a
brute lying down in so natural a position that I never thought he
could be dead, and shot him behind the shoulder ; but he had lain
down for the last time sonje hours before. It was the one 1 had shot
tirst. After cutting out his horna, aome jamboks — koorbaicim-
and his tongue, and hanging them up in a tree, we went off for water,
and had not gone far whta I saw unother, about twenty yards ^)Si
THE WORLD ASHORE.
looking at me, uneasy, and anwarpnfN, * • .
beiog seen. I waited ^LZlafl'"'' '"7™"" herself hen
behind the shoulder, ,vhe„ she i ed „ L,; " .ft"" "■»"/•"" ""=>•
... the center of her forehead stopped Wn! '"■ '"" ' '"" " •>-"
not tc„ yards from „,e ; a luekyX ITlTT',' '"" ""' '"" """d
and I had not „„ instant to loTe I Cj If'' ''":' "l"^™ '"fi™,
very long horn if I h„d not been forZl T """"''"' "" '""■
had a very yonng ea„. with .Z ^ Z f,:," "'" ''T; «'-
sqdeaiing most lustily. I „ot thnm ,.ff ? '"S'""'g. •■"kI he was
talie him to the wa<.on and°Ln » ' ,1"^ """'«<■ '""••>' """^■' t"
do.en fellows to caTr^'him He "5 "h^""'" '"'"'"'"' '"■■ ^-" -
pink.eared,very fine skinned a„"f. tT„d r" """-.''^"'' ^'"""^o Wg.
polished with black-lead ibntl^; 1 ,,"""/' '^ ''"'"«' J"»' bee',
shoot a hartebeeste, to make somethbr ! ""' '"'""" '""' S""' «»
tween two poles, the hyenas kiledh^ . """'^ ••''" '"• ^'""S be-
though I had ox^ressl/e^fag It p ■;'"'m'''^''™ "" '''■•"""'l>«'-.
».btfeed.aswewereWdtrrtrc:rfS-,r^^^^
CHAPTER XXXI.
DRIVER HORSE. SEA cow. OR HIPPOPOTAMUS.
savage iife largely preponJctstle ::"::«; h""""
nantsof species once numerous h„t 1 "^ '''"°-
countries. Once the lordly eIenirtTh„ "? '''^'''''"'■'"' '''''''■•
'he gigantic hippopotamus roamed a I Tj7 '"'"•"™' ""-^
l«.s, as indicated by the vast amonn of !k u"'"' '" '""""""» ""■"-
imbedded in the clays of I™ ' ZZ ."'^ ^"'^ "'" '" "-e found
the coast of bleak ajeria cl,^ "'''' f"""' "^ "«"•''- »'""g
climate and the pro-^re so^'th^ h ^""'' ^'""^^ "<"«''' "banges of
their long aecusom^cdhaun aN:"'"" r": ''';"™ "'^'* '"■'"■"'^f-™
I"diano? to-day until th.vl- n T ""''' '"'c*. like the receding
The march':^^r;i'Jti:r:;,'i'';i''!^''!T'';.- •'<'.-■> - ".o»>'
anci southern parts of Afri,.« . II. 'T"" "'"' ""rough the northeast
■^main benighted rices wh . J i ?''", '" """«'•"'»' '=™""T 'here
-oe, but which never erbledT' '""'^ ""*'"^" '"^ "-"■ «'"-
never euabled them to contend against the wild
644
SEA AND LAND.
beasts, by which they are surrounded, with any greater success than
our progenitors of the stone-age battled with tlie cave-bear and niani-
nioth. Hence, we tind in Africa the prototypes of great monstois
that peopled the antediluvian world, and which can now bo found in
no other country. Among the wonderful creatures noted for tjioii
enormous size and prodigious strength is the Hippopotamus , from
two Greek words signifying ''river horse."
This leviathan is now found only In Africa, where it haunts tlu-
rivers, lakes and pools in large herds, being almost distinctively a
water animal, and its place might therefore have been very properly
THE HIPPOPOTAMUS.
in that part of this book treating of the sea. Although the hippopot-
amus is a frequenter of fresh water it is by no means averse to tlie
sea, and exi)eriraents even show that it prefers salt water to fresh.
But being a pachydermatous animal belonging to the elephant, rlii-
noceros, tapir and the like families of quadrupeds, I have prefencd to
describe it in this eonnection.
The average iiuight of u hippopotamus scarcely exceed^ five foot,
and its length twelve feet, but its bulk of body is fairly tremendous.
The feet are very short, so that when walking on shore the belly
THE WORLD ASHORK.
B45
"'"'"»' lUllLllM lllO KlOUilcl, .rivni.r I, ., ,,.,.„
.i|>i.ea.-anco. It, skin i, dovoi.l ,e.' " >."""'"-""^ ""'I ..wkward
"iiy liquid. L-.U «.e;i, „:„,;■: It'", "";;'f" ''-^ '"""-'f ""
...w»y of it» s.n:,und ,,';;;; ;: "v"™"- -"th, ti,e
Tl,.„oso i» vcy ,„„nt, and ' 1 „: :^a : f,:"',''^ '"■^'" -"■"'•
f..l sight was nov„r seen tl,„„ it aff/ h r ' • ' '''''''■° ''■'«''*-
l"wer jaw lie almost hon.„„t..llv wi . H ■ ■'■"'"' '"■"' "^ 'l>»
and are used as <.,-„w-l r j „ Vn ' '"'""^ ''"'''•""' f"">''"-'I.
feeds. The ca„i„es :',.",,, :;;:,; 11',;"-'- -» off ,v,,i.h i^
Icgth and cu,.ved like tl,o L!m::!:^:::Z"T '"" '■"" ""
and win u-eiirh as much -is oicrhf ,. . ^ ^''''>' ''"'^ S"l'tl
f".' ivory is ;ated at »5 00 .^ , 3'^ ;"': '^ ":' ""■ -'"» '" which
the animal ean cut ..roat sw hs of '"■■'" "'HMlerful teeth
were „sed. „„.. .;»::: :;;^Ti;::r,:::::[trt''"r^'; - ''•^""'
grip. ■' "■'^ "'""■' withstand its cutting
DEVASTINO „.B,T8 Or T„. HIPPOPOTAMUS
Possessed of an ennrinous ■mnetlfn i •
containing five or siv huX f' '"- " '"°"""'^ '■"P"''le of
l.owe.-f„n,istnu, e„t, ,h! Mn '":'""-""' """ ''"•'"'*'""l «'"> ™ch
owners of cniti t„ Li d t T h': r"; '^ " ""•'■'""' ""-"- '" '"o
tl..-nimal h.ls taken n i s „d " n *" ''M'""- ">" '--"■ - -'"ch
»*ep in its chosen hidinr,! .1 , . "'"''^ "'<' *'>' " i» comfortably
deepen the hippop^t i! ^^ r,', ^JT"" 'V"" f'^'^' '" "'«''
fields, where it begins its ha:: anZg" h Tp ^"tttl^'f '""■''
devour vajit quantities of m-..;,, o i '^ "'\^^"P^- ^ot only does it
over the ground tZ "t f^^e L H ''° """'' '"' ^"""^^ "" "'"'"-1?
herd of these beast lea',; T," ."'"•'' """■" "'"" '' -"- A
^Rlc night. ' '" "^ ''"^"■"yi"g •". immense erop in a
^l': :ftr Is.;:::? t"' '" "'r-'' -' "'^"» - ■•^" "-
digging of lar.e ," Weii;";:! T ™^^-"■™™ P'- » ""e
A."'P stake is'fix d upH °The ol f{ "' "" '"""'■'" "' "'■'^'' "
■' l>»ipoon atfehed tl', I destroying the animal is by means of
1 iKd to a heavy weiglit and suspended to the branch of
m
i-
i\
^
' m
'}
■-1
.^MikM^^l
646
SEA AND LAND.
u trc'o that overlmiigs tlio wt'll-troiKh'ii piUli of the blppopol tnus.
The har[)<)oii is hold suspended by a
tritrgor, which is *iprung by a line that
connects V ilh the ground and is strung;
across the patliway. When the nninal
comes waddling over his usual route,
his legs strike against the strini;, the
trigger is thus sprung, and the poisoned
point of the heavily weighted harpoon
descends into his back, when, if the
blow is not immediately fatal, death
soon ensues from the wound and poison ,
The hippopotamus is at home in the
water for he can swim like a fish and
dive like a loon. Before diving he
inflates his lungs by a long respiration,
and then sinks by a means which natuii
has given him,bui which naturalists do
not attempt to explain. He cannot
remain under water for more than ton
minutes at a time, but when anxious to
id discovery he raises his nose barely
'.* ^"^6 the surface, generally among
i ■: ne drift, and there remains secure,
'■o-c the keenest eye is hardly able to
detect him.
The female brings forth a single oalf
at a birth and guards it with most
zealous care, though sometimes, espe-
cially in captivity, the mother becomes
unnatural and destroys her young. In
the Jardin des Plantes — zoological gar-
den— of Paris, a hippopotamus vicious-
ly killed her new-born calf by tearing
it to pieces, and upon a second birth,
two years after, she killed her calf
again, though it is supposed, this time,
accidentally, while teaching it to swim.
The young hippopotamus is a comical appearing littje thing, quite
SrEAS'iSAP FOk KILUNu iiiri'ui'OTAMl.
THE WOULD ASHORE.
647
us tl)' 'K nS it 18 loilO'' Wo mnir 4k,.. * . .
carried about on the moZ,"l 'J ":,,„, •,"'''. """'''° '° ""■" '' '"
, , " * ^^y^ "^ Sleeps at the breu.st of ts motlier A« »l,»
calf 1-^ unublo to ivrrmiii lon.r under wutpr fh« ri » . ""^'"-'- ^'^ t''<^
the .urfueo ,o give it air, at^wllioL r: .^Z 'Z^^Zt!;'
creature «„„eti,„es appears, it, „,„»,„,. „„t ,,elg viliMe her^d, "'°
'•""■a "'"ST ADVENTURE WITH HIPPOPOTAMI
th Atbara nver, then nearly dry, as it was mid-.sum • ^
harym the morning I procured an Arab guide to search forfh«
reported 1> nMopotami. My tents were amongit grove ofTome l,m
on the margin of the rivcM- • thn« T k„^ i • aoraepalm
Jistance of" half „ , , "o 'J^ ', ^e T "''.r'T '" ''l!^' "" »
ab. ,toue-tl,ircl tlio breadth of the river "Indedltr T"'"^
one side, and by a perpendieuiar clij u^™ tt It 'fr uZ TT
srew a fringe .,f green bushcsimihir to wilUnvl ' ^" "''"''
h-idlTl r'"'"' "" '*"""• «'"'".vl"'nk in a spot that the Arabs
fruit had been entirely robbod by the hJDDonnfnmJ a ' .
Swefolitrfr'''"? '"'! """^ ^""'-- ^o' -ntent"
renderPfl fK« k; "~ -j ^-^e einircn. mis liltle incident had
renaeied the hippopotamus exceedingly danncr and if h..^ n...
era! occKiinn^ «k„ j . ^ ^ "^ ^' "" '•' "^" upon sev-
occasions charged out of the water, when the people had driven
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648
SEA AND LAND.
their goats to drink ; therefore it would be the more satisfactory to
obtain a eliot, and to supply the hungry Arabs with meat at the
expense of the enemy.
•* At this early hour, G a. m., no one hud descended to the pool,
thus all the tracks upon the margin were fresh and undisturbed; theie
were the huge murks of crocodiles that had recently returned to the
water, while ma-.y of great size were still lying upon the sand in the
distance. The Arabs had dug small holes in the sand within a few-
yards of the water; these were the artificial drinking places for thoir
goats and sheep, that would have been snapped up by the crocodiles
had they ventured to drink in the pool or crowded monsters. The
HUNTING HIPPOPOTAMI IN THE ATBARA RIVER.
number and size of the fish, turtles and crocodiles were extraordi-
nary ; many beautiful gazelles approached from all sides for their
morning draught; wild geese, generally in pairs, disturbed the wary
crocodiles by their cry of alarm.
"I had killed several wild geese for breakfast in the absence of
the hippopotami, when I suddenly heard the peculiar loud snorting
neigh of these animals in my rear ; we had passed them unperceived,
as they had been beneath the suyface. After a quick walk of about
half a mile, during which time the cry of the hippopotami had been
several times repeated, I observed six of these curious animals stand-
ing in the water shoulder-deep. There was no cover, therefore I
THE WORLD ASHORE. .,.
could only advance upon the ^Mi.rl ,.,-fk ^
.hi» c.„..d the,,, to' milrt ::v::,e',''' ,.:;.: "'r?' ^'°"''"»" "-^ '
w,tl„n about eighty ™-ds,thev,-,i J, h f ', ' "'""' "'3' "■'■iv,,!
an i,npude„t challe/.e. I l,Td " v „M r 'T"""^" "''' »"" "■"■•'ed
-d,t.ti„gasteadyai,nutti,otIp,:"/':^'':', ";"• '»• <"'"'"» -fl",
largest, the ball c,„cked loudly u,,o,V it "!hu , M """1"''"^ ""' '"' «'=
«uch a commotio,, i„ the poola ,™ t"'^, ^"™'- 1""" "'<"•« been
heads sauk a„d disannea,ed like ' . "'7'>'P"rt "f the rifle, five
half out of the wa e,. I d allitT', " ^'" ''■^"' '"''P" '-!«'
of violent struggles; ,ow u„o tf baef h''^' ">"™^"<-d a selies
a" four legs fi^tieally nadd ii".^^ a Tt " """" "'" ^'"^' ""■"■
foam; the,,„alt.i,,g,.ol.,,'d „;Cd; -i't'fr ' "' ^""^ """
,-a,s„,g giga„tie swells in the hithe,t w. V ^ '" •>""'' ''•'''' "P""'
quiek shot with the left-hr,! I , "" ^'"'^'""'^ "' "'» "a'". A
"."..s of the am,,,:, :" e ' , ™',f ^.t"-" "" ^-^-t- "^ the ,„ov^
i.-d; Iaeeo,.dingly took LytlZt Mttl pL;' h'""?^ °J'" -" '"" '"-
and, running knee-deep into^he Ite to „b , "'" """ ^"' '^'
actly between the eyes, nenr the If .° " "'""' '''"*• ' S^d <■"-
the iittlo Fletcher 'the* ^i ; '' i ~,' '"^ .Tf ^' 'he repo,^ of
the com,notion broke upo, the s.„! I ?,u *^ "">' ''"«'' ™»«d by
" This being n,y fi,.,t J ,."■'"'•, ™ 'be game was gone.
tain whether I could , .ThTvl': " "T""— • '-s not ce,-
However, while I was s„e",li '"■^,' ''" "'"« S""^. but where V
™»h of water, and .fr l';!;:;' "''' !''"• ' '■™'" "'--«'ious
'l"oughapo,.ti„„of tl,e,2l ,.r' 1 'f"""^ "'""« '" '»" fot
above the shoulder; ,h C , ' . "' "°*r*t" """"»"'' '" «-«■ th"™
they quickly ..cached del «te",ufr' """"" '""' " »""""'. "»
fifty ya,ds distance. disappeared at one hund,-ed and
aWed; Iacco,di„gly lost 2 ti^^"^ 17'"^-'"'"' '"''"■ ''"">'"■ dis-
I>"1. Ha,-dly haSl X;. tlesU 7'''°',''''' '"™^«''" "' 'be
"hen fi,.st one and then ™ther h T, "■" "'"^ '""> <'''»PPea>ed,
"-til 0"e, „o,.e ha,dy th-.'r,he e ; """'"' "" ''°'' "='"'" '""''
^-*. and ,„ bellow a betr 'n™ "'"' '° "P"'"^ "'">■" «%
"■rough his head, and a^ain tt „ "'"" *'"' ^'"- '^ '•""bed
like the paddli.,g'„f"r, "C, thT r "* ,"'"' '"'""'''"« <=™'"«-'»<'
'" its convulsive eff„:,s cZe Vo Zl'Tn T"' "" '""'""^ '''PP»
-. ^" -*>v water, by aTrt:; 'r:;iri'';,- ^^i::!!--;
650
SEA AND LAND,
concluded from this result that iry first hippo must also be lying dead
in deep water.
A BLOODY STRUGGLE.
" The Arabs, having heard the shots fired, hud begun to gather to-
wards the spot, and, upon my men shouting that a hippo was killed,
crowds came running to the place with their knives and ropes, while
others returned to their encampment to fetch camels and mat bags to
convey the flesh. In half an hour at least three hundred Arabs were
on the spot ; the hippo had been haul-^d to shore by ropes, and, ^y the
united efforts of th^ crowd, the heavy carcass had been rolled to the
edge of the water. Here the attack commenced; no pack of hungry
hyenas could have been more savage. I gave them permission to
take the flesh, and in an instant a hundred knives were at work ; they
fought over the spoils li^e wolves. No sooner was the carcass
flayed than the struggle commenced for the meat; the people were a
mass of blood, as some stood thigh-deep in the reeking intestines
wrestling for the fat, while many hacked at each other's hands for
coveted portions that were striven for as a bonne bouche. I left the sav-
age crowd in their ferocious enjoyment of flesh and blood, and re-
turned to camp for breakfast, carrying some hippopotamus steaks.
"That morning my wife and I breakfasted upon our first hippo-
potamus, an animal that was destined to be our general food through-
out our journey among the Abyssinian tributaries of the Nile."
The first hippopotamus, as Baker suspect? ' >'as killed by his sec-
ond shot, and the body arose two hours afi\ rds, affordiug a sec-
ond feast for the hungry Arabs whose joys were now unbounded as
meat was thus provided sufficient to ?iist three hundred gourmands
for a week.
HARPOONINQ A BULL HIPPOPOTAMUa
The Arabs of Abyssinia possess few guns, and even those who are
supplied with fire-arms can use them only indifferently, consequentiv,
since their country is the home of the largest and fiercest kinds of
wild beasts, they must make up in daring what they lack in oppor-
tunity and the skillful use of the best improved arms.
The aggageers, of whom I have already written, are no more cour-
ageous in their attacks upon the elephants and rhinoceri than are the
professional hippopotami huntc^-s, whose sole weapon against the
mighty beheuioth is the harpoon. The following particulars of a
hunt participated in by Baker, as related by himself, will serve to
illustrate the skill and daring of theso Arabs:
t also be lying dead
THE WORLD ASHORE.
651
reekins: intestines
I, are no more cour-
rounded by rock.,, cxceDt unlL m , ° '"^"' "'« ""^ mm-.
Lunter) did not condLnTtolJ^U 7 f" "''"""" <"- A™"
pomtcd out these auim»I th.v t! ^ ^^''"''' ""^'i"" '^h"" I
".odi,,tety quitted the™ ;.'sbeT IT '"" ,™'--™ko ; but ho i,„.
tl- fringe of bushes „p„,o'obl/:''°""' ,'■"'■ •'"■^t'-^'-Wnd
examined the water, /bout halfl" , T", "'™'' '™ «i"«f""v
clambered over tho intervening rod Ih u'"'" "'" ''"•"• "^ ""
a powerful rapid, I observed T„„ 7 u '^. " S'"'"" ""^ f"™.ed
Ihe immense Lad of ThulL ' , """' '■"'' '"''"" »"> ™Pfd.
that formed a wall UtilT!ZT/7 l" f '"^'■P""'"-'- 'ock
pointed out the hippo to oM Ah„7n f' "''"" "'" ''"'"•»'■ I
once the gravity of^he oM Arafd .p":;,: ".'^ '"" -"' ='• At
hunter was exhibited as he motioned ,^tTl ■ """■">' "' 'I"*
bchi.,d the thick screen of bush" f *",""""'"•"''>"«''•<> ™n nimbly
yards below the spot wher tf, h ^ "'""" ""^ ■"•"".■ed and fifty
with his uglyheada'boveTh T„,te "^r™? ""-"-'"-ly basking:
the veteran hunter was carried s„L .^^ ''"'""""'''"■'"<»««.
"..-easting the powerful cZthri. ':!;"" '"T" "" '"■'^"'- •»"
opposite side, and retiring to Illl'^ir^'fr;'; ^""'^^"P''" «">
advanced towards the sp^t beneath Zbch,hTl ''' ''" ''"'•='''>■
»g. I had a fine -iew of the scene « 1 1^ r !"P"°P'""'""-^ ™ 1^
o|.posite the hippo, who had di!!™', , ^'"^ concealed exactly
Do ..ow stealthily „;p".oaehed ,77 I'""""'' "■" '""<'■•• A1h,u
bad expected tos'^.eX hi of he »•" l" i':"''^ ''^■.eath which He
.^.«d,with tho harpoonCdvt "T ' <>- l™g.»i..ewy arm was
At length he reachcS t " eXe „f .h ' '' •■« ""''^'""y advanced,
had vanished, but far f on, eilbifi P*r"<"«"'" "'ck ; the hippo
*..ding on the sharp wJetZtT'"'.?'' f ^■■'''' ■•™''""^''
bronze could have been more ri" M t"! '" """"•''• N" ^S"'" »f
J-tood erect ..pon thrr ckti.h I' !,;', "'/ f "''''-''"^' »
ba.l>oon poised in his rcadv r!„M k j ' '"'" advanced, and the
M'ho held the loosrcodstf ^'1''':;'';'"™ ■"» '"'«'' "'"'» "' W^
watched eagerly for tht ^ , ^n^ rf'tt':"" ''"'""°'' '"'°^- ^
face of the water was ,till hll I hippopotamus ; the sur-
'tatuc desce,,dod lik , 11^"™';','" T'"^""'' ""^ '«'" "■•'" "' «>«
iato the pool with he Leld ot '""'P""" ''"'* P^'l-^ndieularly
wuh the speed of an arrow. What river fiend answered
'■■ ll
652
SEA Ajm LAND.
to the summons? In an instant an enormous pair of open jaws
appeared, followed by the ungainly head and form of the fuiious
hippopotamus, who, springing half out of the water, lashed the river
into foam, and, disdaining the concealment of the deep pool, lie
charged straight up the violent rapids. With extraordinary power lie
breasted the descending stream ; gaining a footing in the rapids, al)oiit
ABOO DO ATTACKS THE HIPPOPOTAMUS.
five feet deep, he ploughed his way against the broken waves, sending
them in showers of spray upon all sides, and upon gaining broiuler
shallows he tore along through the water, with the buoyant float
hopping behiud him along the surface, until he landed from the river,
started at full gallop along the dry, shingly bed, and at length disap
peared in the thorny nabbuk jungle.
THE VVORI^ ASHORE.
<-ape, and it was fo,,,,„,,„ f,,;;, '■™ :7''' h-e i,„d ,. ohaiice „f
"|."" tl.c. I,i.h ledge „t ,.„ek. tZ old „?','"' """ ''° '™^ «^™>-e
'■■"^'' ''"" "l'"" Ws dextetitv C It^^ ":'"*• Ie..ng,a,„"
pioposcd to cross ,|,e rivo,.; „„d o7, """"' "> '"» "o""- I
t.|>pn,.otan,n.,, a, I i,„ ,i„^, , ™ '° '""'"v npon the tracks of the
...the thick inngle.und tlua, s : ,' Id ,7 "'" ''""' '"""" -'^^
".I the old hnnter quieilv h,id hi I ,, '"""""""gl«l i" ehe hush-
"- 'eel of the river, expiainini , u it","™ '"' »'■'"• ""'I l'"inted „,
'" "!« "'«•■ "ftcr a short inte,;^, ''''" """'" ""'•■'""y .-etu™
'A few minutes later -it o v .
;"--„d the hippo c„,e,i.;\:jru,ri '"r"'^ '«"' - •■""=. «»
"•"'to the bed of , he rive, m iZ/ ^'"'f'"' "'"' ''•■■»«"«1 »t full
"tieh we had „oticed the Hf "'■"' '"'■"'" -■■^' ™-l<y pool
Ike oldhowa,,i (l"-ppohn,,t :' ',!;;r'".'";- Aocon.pllied hv
Heo^.la,„cd ,0 ,„e that I .nstlCi^^l'r'''' '"^'''-^ *i'<' ^Poi.
»l'ould not be able to secure h ,„ , e "T""""' ""I'l'"- "'^ "'e
^a.. an onr ,„e,.we,.e absent,™: :!:;:- ~^^. .op.
.a:"p°d;r:;c:^r;^;::;:^i::::; ---'''""- ..^thirt,
«..-ted and roared as we a 'S VT'''" , ''^' "'^ '?"• »l'o
b-7ant float .'an along the s ,' a e li. I"""^ """■• ""0 ""^
'-"nor as the cork of ,. tri,nmor v-iM " '" "'"'"" '"' *'"' '■"»-
"nes he appeared, but as he inva i", .w i 'V'"™, "'" '"'"''• Several
avo,,.ble shot, I tberefo,.e sc t e 1 , ."' """' '"" '""""' "
e, sw.,nn,i„g the river, advan d „ I „ ' , '"""" ''"' '»"'• ""d
Uie attentio,, of the hinnn t "PPositc side, and att.uctcd
Ti- afforded „e a ^odT^ e:":,,:;' '.f f '^. '""""' '"-•'■•'• '^-
""■. at about seventy yard, w^h ,''■'' " "'"'"'^ ^'■"t behind the '
;«" l.i,>,>«potan,i, whe^^rr:' r ali™° ""T""'^'' ''"'''• ^» -"'
»ater at the shot. The crack o the , if ' "'f I'l>earcd beneath the
-^Pla* fro,,, the bullet told ne I't '.'•'"'' '"" "^"""""^ "^ ""X
»>:"i'ed perfectly stationa.y ul L ,, f' ' '' r"'" ""'"""'■ «"'" ■'«'-
.mautes _ it never „,oved "ev ra 1, ?'"; J ™'''''*'' '' f"'' '"n"-
"I vanished in different directions bT^t "« '"PP"P'""-"i "PPeared
'"" ^'"" w'-e the g,.„„d old h;;;;t;, 'I*;::;-?, -^" ^ " -i^ed
5- »
^- #1
I ..
654
SEA AND LAND.
After some hours of hard work the uiiimal was finally drawn on
shore, and being of such extraordinary proportions, Baker took some
measurement of its body. He found its length, from the upper lip
to the extremity of its tail, to be fourteen feet two inches. The head,
measured from the front of the ear to the edge of the lip, was three
feet one inch The harpoon was still sticking in the nape of tlie
animal's neck, having penetrated two and one-half inches beneath
the hide, which Wiis one tind three-quarters inches thick. Baker de-
clares it one of the finest specimens he ever saw, while the tusks were
very much larger than any others he ever met. The head of this
gigantic beast now adorns Bakei's hail in England.
FATAL ADVENTURE WITH A SAVAGE HIPPOPOTAMUS.
Baker mentions, only ^ncidentiilly, however, a terrible accident by
which the father of the Sheik of Sofi lost his life through his dar-
Mig. The man was a famous hippopotamus hunter, who attacked the
huge game with no other weapon than a harpoon, in the use of which
he was marvelously adept. On this fatal occasion he was hunting
hippos in company with his son, in the Atbara river. The two rowed
out to an island in the stream in a small canoe, where several hippo-
potami were seen basking in the sun. So clever was the hunters' ap-
proach that the animals did not discover them until the two were
landed and ready to hurl their harpoons. Father and son, however,
were separated, each selecting his victim at opposite ends of the small
island. The old raasi transfixed one very large bull, which appeared
to be so badly wounded that it could not move, and to save the car-
cass from floating off he ran towards it for the purpose of cutting a
strip in its hide, through which to pass a rope and thus anchor the
body. The son, in the meantime, had also harpooned a smaller ani-
mal, which was engaging all his attention, when, suddenly, he heard
a despairing cry, and turned just in time to see the great beast close
its horrid jaws o\\ his father. The animal had evidently been para-
lyzed for the moment by the harpoon, and recovered its senses, as the
old hunter approached, in time to seize the unfortunate man, who
was fairly bitten in two in an instant.
This dreadful accident did not lessen the Sheik's love for adven-
ture, for afterwards he joined Baker and showed himself to be one
of the most fearless of men iu hunting the hippopotamus^and all other
large game.
THE WORLD ASHORE.
855
"f ....e of these o „~ul rti;:'^' " " ™""" '•' '"" ■"'-"
fe,ualos „,.o extremely shTaiTd 1 1, v " '"'' l'>-"voeali,.„. The
.ho only instance, he'ieveVto ^iZZt T"'"' """"'°'-''
have been m cases where their .1. "'•''"' """"king man
utes is the time that he usn.Ilv , ^' . ^''^ *" ^'S^l niin-
to the snrface and el- .ir. "^ , 'r" •;.: : Tu' "" "T ""'"^^
refills his lungs almost instantly ■ , d flTf, \^^'""'e- he again
In places where they have beclmrhvf,';?' ''"'"' " "'"''■
they seldon, expose the head aZe L " ? '" ''"" "''
the nose to breithe thr,,n'h the^ost I ^^ Tk "' '""'"' P""™''^
them. Their food eonstol of 1/ ' " '"'" ""l'">'»il'l« to shoot
.Ms. ^ot only Jt^^t- if.;:: ^rrr^r ,r;r -r
great distances from the water by ni.rhr if ,„' , u J ™'"'"'
»ge, and, although clumsy and IZth „ ^ ^'""' l"'^'"'•■
to clamber up sleep bauLll, "p f i^it "r^r^ilh'r^t '"7"'
celer,ty and ease; when uudisturbed they ent.v ll ,t '''"1"'^"'^
beneath invitinc shades ,.„A tl,„ i ,■ ' " '""'""g '" the sun
i* audible for a mile or more ^ '' "''"""« " '''"'"^'' """
tbottCtrterVLrr'''" '" :"'' '"^'^^ "' "'^ hippopotamus,
they°,re less rblltL t "T '"'"'"'''' "'"" "''^P'""'' ''■"'7' """^^
otb-Z.7 ■ * "'"' ""'""hange color. False teeth made
4
i: I
'j^fi
«5()
SKA AND LAND.
AN EXOITINQ HOWARTI8 HUNT OF HIPPOPOTAMI.
Olio of tho most interesting hunts in which Baker pai'ticipated dur-
ing his sojourn in Africa, in which there was an extraordinary display
of skill and daring, is thus described in his usual realistic and grai)liic
manner:
♦'A little after sunrise I accompanied tho howartis (Arab profcs-
sional hipi)()p()tiinius hunters) for a day's sport. There were numbers
of hippos in this part of tho river, and wo were not long findinir :i
herd. Tho hunters failed in several attempts to harpoon them, how-
ever, and wo had to go further up the stream. At length wo arriviMJ
at a largo pool in which were several sand-bars covered with rushes.
and many rocky islands. Among those rocks was a herd of hippo-
potami, consisting of an old bull and several cows ; a young hippo
was standing, like an ugly little statue, on a protruding rock, while
another infant stood upon its mother's back that listlessly floated on
the water.
'* This was an admirable place for the hunters. They desired me
to lie down, and thoy crept into tho jungle, out of view of the river;
I presently observed them stealthily descending the dry bod ahout
two hundred paces above the spot where tho hippos were basking he-
hind the rocks. They entered the river, and swam down the center
of tho stream towards tho rock. This was highly exciting — the
hipi)os wore quite unconscious of the approaching danger, as stcadiiv
and rapidly the hunters floated down the strong current ; they noared
the rock, and both heads disappeared as they purposely sank out of
view ; in a few seconds they reappeared at the edge of the rock
upcm which the young hippo stood. It would be diflScult to say
which started first, the astonished young hippo, into the water, or the
harpoons from tho hands of the howartis ! It was the affair of a
moment; the hunters dived directly they had hurled their harpoons,
and, swimming for some distance under water, they came to the sur-
face, and hastened to the shore lest an infuriated hippopotamus
should follow them. One harpoon had missed ; the other had fixed
the bull of the herd, at which it had been surely aimed. This was
grand sport ! The bull was in the greatest fury, and rose to the sur-
face, snorting and blowing in his impotent rage ; but as the ambatch
float was exceedingly huge, and this naturally accompanied his move-
ments, iie tried to escape from his imaginary persecutor, and dived
find his pertinacious attendant close to him upou
ijtantly, only
HIPPOPOTAMI.
Baker purticipntod dnr-
an oxtruordiimry displny
uul realistic and grapliio
howartis (Arab profcs-
I't. There were nunil)ei's
vere not long findinj; u
to harpoon them, how-
At length we arrived
va covered with rushos,
ks was a herd of hippo-
al cowK ; a young hippo
L protruding rock, while
that listlessly floated on
ters. They desired iiic
lut of view of the rivei ;
ling tlie dry bed about
hippos were basking be-
J swam down the center
i highly exciting — the
hing danger, as steadily
ig current ; they neared
/ purposely sank out of
i;he edge of the rock
uld be difficult to suy
o, into the water, or the
It was the affair of a
I hurled their harpoons,
r, tliey came to the sur-
ifuriated hippopotamus
id ; the other had fixed
irely aimed. This was
ry, and rose to the sui-
;e ; but as the ambatch
accompanied his move-
!■ persecutor, and dived
idant close to him upou
'*.' i
657
428
658
8EA ANU LAND.
roguiiiiii]Lrtlie Huifiicc. This was not to last long; the howartls wore
ill eanio.st, aiul they at onro called tlieir party, wlio, with two of tlio
u<>-<rugeers, Abou Do and Suloiniaii, wero near at hand. Those nicii
arrived with the long ropes that form a imrtion of the outfit for hippo
hunting.
" The whole party now halted on the edge of the river, while two
men swam across with one end of the long rope. Upon gaining llio
op[)osite hank, I observed that a second ro|)y was made fast to tlio
middle of the main line ; thus upon our side we held the ends of two
ropes, while on the opposite side they had only one ; accordingly, the
point of junction of the two ropes in the center formed an acute anglo.
The object of this was soon practically explained. Two men upon
our side now each held a rope, and one of these walked about ten
yards before the other. Upon both sides of the river the people now
advanced, dragging the rope ujjon the surface of the water until they
reached the ambatch float that was swimming to and fro, according
to the hippopotamus below. By a dextrous jerk of the main line,
the float was now placed between the two ropes, and it was ininiedj.
ately secured in the acute angle by bringing together the ends of the
ropes on our side.
«♦ The men on the opposite banks now dropped their line, and our
men hauled in upon the ambatch float that was held fast between tlie
ropes. Thus cleverly made sure, we quickly brought a strain upon
the hippo, and, although I have had some experiences in handling big
fish, I never knew one to pull so lustily as the amphibious animal that
we now alternately coaxed and bullied. He sprang out of the water,
ffnashed his huge jaws, snorted with tremendous rage, and lushed
the river into foam ; he then dived, and foolishly approached us uiidcr
water. We quickly gathered in the slack line, and took a round tmii
upon a large rock, within a few feet of the river. The hippo now
arose to the surface, about ten yards from the hunters, and, jumping
half out of the water, he snapped his great jaws together, endeavor-
ing to catch the rope, but at the same instant two harpoons were
launched into his side. Disdaining retreat, and maddened with rage,
the furious animal charged from the depths of the river, and, gaiiiiii;r
a footing, he reared his biflky form from the surface, came holdiv
upon the Rand-bank, and attacked the hunters open-mouthed, h^
little knew Ills enemy; they were not the men to fear a pair of ga]!
ing jaws, armed with a deadly array of tusks, but half a dozen lances
long; tlio howartiM wcic
ty, wlio, with twd of llu!
nv ut liantl. TIioho iih'h
ion of the oiilfil foriiipiui
0 of the river, wliilo two
ope. Upon giiiiiin<r the
[)o was nuidc fast to tlio
3 wo hold tho ends of two
ily ono ; acviordingly, tiie
lor forniod an acute aii^iic
[)i!iinod. Two men upon
' tlioso walked about ten
the river the people now
'0 of tho water until tlioy
ins to and fro, aecordiiii'
us jerk of the main line,
•opes, and it was iniincdi-
<; together the ends of the
opped their line, and our
vas held fast between the
Lly brought a strain upon
periences in handling big
e amphibious animal that
sprang out of the water.
endous rage, and liislicd
shly approached us luulcr
ae, and took a round turn
10 river. The hippo now
he hunters, and, jumping
jaws together, endi'uvor-
stant two harpoons were
and maddened with rage,
of the river, and, guiiiing
the surface, came Ixddlj
iters open-mouthed, h'^
aen to fear a pair of gjip
s, but half a dozen iaiiccs
8'
• 'v
m :h
r -iL ■*
658
660
SEA AND LAND.
were hurled at him, some entering his mouth from a distance of five
or six paces ; at the same time several men threw handf uls of sand
into his enormous eyes. This baffled him more than the lances; he
crunched the shafts between his powerful jaws like straws, but he was
beaten by the sand, and, shaking his huge head, he reti-eated to the
river. During his sally upon the shore, two of tiie hunters hud se-
cured the ropiTs of the harpoons that had been fastened into his body
just before his charge ; he was now tixed with three of these doiidly
instruments, but suddenly one rope gave way, having been hitlen
through bv the enraged beast, who was still beneath the water. Im-
mediately' after this ae appeared on the surface, and, without u
moment's hesitation, he once more charged furiously from the water
straight at the hunters, >vith his huge mouth open to such an extent
that he could have accommodated two inside passengers. Sulcnnuii
was wild with delight, and springing forward, lance in hand, ho drove
it acrainst the head of the formidable beast, but without effect. At
the'sametime Abou Do met the hippo, sword in hand, remindnig oiic
of Perseus slaying the sea-monster that would devour Andromeda,
but the sword made a harmless gush, and the lance, already blunted
a<rainst the rocks, refused to penetrate the tough hide ; once more
htndfuls of sand were pelted upon his face, and again repulsed l.y
this blindincr attark, he was forced tO retire to his deep hole and wash
it from his eyes. Six times during the fight the valiant bull hipi)..
quitted his watery fortress, and charged resolutely at his pursuers; lie
had broken several of their lances in his jaws, other lances hud heen
hurled, and, falling upon the rocks, they were blunted and would not
penetrate. The fight had continued for three hours, and the sun was
about to set; accordingly, the hunters begged me to give him the
coup de grace, as they had hauled him close to the shore, and they
feared he would sever the rope with his teeth. 1 waited for a go.xl
ouportunity , when he boldly raised his head from the water about three
yards from the rifle, and a bullet from the little Fletcher between
the eyes closed the last act."
HIPPOPOTAMUS FLESH AS A DEUIOAOY.
Schweinfurth speaks of shooting hippopotami in the Dyvor river
with a rifle that threw a light bullet ; he says that though Ins range
was rarely more than one hundred and fifty feet, yot of tho hundre-ls
he shot at only two appeared to be mortally wounded, and the bod'
of only one was recpveT^d, that had been hit behind the ear. toi
THE WORLD ASHORE.
661
earning the palatableness of hii,p„,K.tamu» fle.h, which the native,
devour with such avidity, he says : natives
" We were at worit on the following day in turning th. 1,
».ss of the hippopotamus to aceount ^„. „L dome io^ t T ""-
pie honed down great flasks of the fat, which they ^1; f^{,T
ayers between the nl.s, but what the entire produce-'o !" „t "oulj
have been I was unable to determine, as hundreds of natives ITd a
of Centra, AfricJt "eve^^trs'^'lt t:!y llVIZ thT"'?
0.1. Of all „niu,al fats it appears to he the puLt,™ a al ' tl i
never becomes rane.d, and will keep for „,ajy years without eoui
ng any special process of clarifying, it has, Lwever, a Zht fl^;
of tram-o, ,to which it is diflicult for a European to become acc„s
0 , d. It IS s ated n . e hooks that hippopotamus-bacri, ouilt
a delicacy, but I can by no means concur in this oi.inion I i^
found it unfit for eating, and when cut intoimrrr ;s ;ii I^^^^
It was as liard and tough as so much rope, the aZe mat be f j
the tongue which I often had smoked l,nd salted. T^m a i re
nurkably fibrous, and is one continuous tissue of sinews
.. « 1 U°°".^7"^' "'" "" """'SHmo CRIMINALS.
Several hundred Nile-whips or koorbaMe. can bo m.dof.om the
I.Kle of a single hippopotamus, and afterwards, in J>ypt mv se™, u! '
made „ profitable little market by selling the ^hipsX' whiTh h v
found a ready demand. By a proper Tipplication of oil heat „Z
10 ion, they may be made as flexible as gutta-percha. The fl ,h is
ea.s.ly cut cross-wise into long quadrilateral strips, and when h! f drv
he edges are trimmed with a knife, and the strips'are ZlZ^el tl
rou d whips as hough they were iron hammered on an anvil!"
i.ch to punish criminals, and is also a common accessory of the
slave-drivei-s. who make no sparing use of it.
R 1 HV, i """'°™"«.U8 NEABLV KILLS A MlSSlONARV.
mght before reaching home we had rather „ „ar-ow .,c we frr-n !
om-f'/ii/i \\r^ II--. " i- i-ai-ijw ,, escape irom a
^ea toro VV e were ohhged to cross the river, which could only be
by pashms over two low i.slands, nearly covered with reeds
'ole. Ihey were a great distance from each other, and it was
effi'
aDd
■■ i\
u u
662
SEA AND LAND.
now nearly dark. We had just reached the first, when a 8ea-cow
came furiously up the stream, snoi-ting so loud as to be echoed back
from the overhanging precipices. Africaner shouted out to me to
escape, and springing from his horse, which appeared petrified, he
seized a large stone and hurled it at the monster, for our guns were
both out of order. The enraged animal then made for the next ford,
through which two of us were forcing our horses, up to the saddle,
in a rapid torrent. A moment's delay on our part would have boon
fatal to one or both of us. The other three men remained till the in-
furiated animal had got again into the rear, when they also escaped
to the second island, where, expecting another encounter, we made
the best of our way to the mainland, effectually drenched with per-
spiration and water. Th,e animals, in their undisturbed lakes and
pools, are generally timid, and will flee at the approach of man ; but
when they have been hunted and wounded, from year to year, they
become very dangerous, as the following fact will prove : A native,
with his boy, went to the river to hunt sea-sows. Seeing one at a
short distance below the island, the man passed through a narrow
stream to get nearer the object of his pursuit. He fired, but missed i
and the animal instantly made for the island, and the man, seeing his
danger, ran to cross the bank of the river ; but, before reaching it,
the lea-cow seized him, and literally severed his body in two with its
monstrous jaws."
NATIVE MODES OF HUNTING THE HIPPOPOTAMUS.
Throughout the entire range of the hippopotamus in Africa its
flesh is highly esteemed, being very juicy, tender and having the taste
of pork, the resemblance between the two meats being indeed re-
markable, Schweinfurth's opinion to the contrary notwithstanding.
On this account the natives devote much of their time in hunting
the animal, and in the chase display no little skill and courage.
The Makoba tribe, along the Zambesi river, are particulariy suc-
cessful hippopotamus hunters. Their weapons are harpoons and
lances, but these they make al-iost as effective as the white man's
best rifles. In preparing for the hunt they first ascertain the location
of a herd in the river and then construct a considerable sized raft of
reeds to which they moor two or more of their canoes, and upon
which they float down among the unsuspecting animals.
Andersson, describing this novel manner of hunting, says: "As
soon as the position of the hippopotami is ascertained, one or more of
THE WOHLD ASHORE.
663
he most.U u and ,„fe,,fcl of the i,unto,« .ta„U» „rop„,-ed with th.
hypoons, wh.lst the rest nmke haste t„ I,„,„ch the cino sh . d 1
attack prove successful. The hustle and noise causedr',1
arations gradually subsi.le. Conversation ie-rT ^ P''''"
and every one is on the mi vive ^hf ^- "" '" " '"''"P"
every UKLent n.ore di!th"ct but 7h ,"" .',"" '""' "'"'«'"" •'^•='""<'
aniraals fro,„ view. The anH 1 "' '" T '"■""" ''*'" '"''^'^ ">«
a. .en «oati^ listie^i; jt ::::f . ^::u .rr 'n;;:'* Jt:::
pearanee on the surface. On. Z:^^:^Z:^ ::!^Z::T
who are now worked up to the highest state of JZ:t Z^
"ODB or „„™„„ .,„^ H,PH,POT»MO, BV TH. MAKOBA TR.BE.
•l.cW NrM , , """»"'^'^>" '""'-diate contact with
>.ut i'hinZtVo"'""" "'""^"™ "°'""*'-^' """ 0'^- '" "« "otton,;
iM» eltoits to escape are unavailing. The line or the -!,.,« f
wej c::::r:[t'h:x::.' ""'''™^^""" "-^^"---f "- -easfs
? If
^'/j
a'?.
t ■-■I
i
664
SEA AND LAKD.
♦* As soon as the hippopotamus is struck, one or more of the men
launch a cano.'? from off the raft, and hasten to the shore with tlie
harpoon-line, and take a turn round with it about a tree, or bunch of
reeds, so that the animal may either be 'brought up' at once, or,
should there be too great a strain on the line, ' played ' in the same
manner as a salmon by u fisherman. But if time should not admit of
a line being passed round a tree, or the like, both line and buoy are
thrown into the water, and the animal goes where he chooses.
"The rest of the canoes are now all launched from off the raft,
and chase is given to the poor brute, who, so soon as he comes to the
surface to breathe, is saluted with a shower of light javelins. Again
he descends, his track deeply crimsoned with gore. Presently — and
perhaps at some little distance — he once more appears on the sur-
face, when as before, missiles of all kinds are hurled at his head.
"When thus beset, '".o infuriated beast not unfrequently turns
upon his assailants, and either with his formidable tusks, or with a
blow from his enormous head, staves in or capsizes the canoes. At
times, indeed, not satisfied with wreaking his vengeance on the craft,
he will attack one or other of the crew^ and with a single gra.-p of
his horrid jaws either terribly mutilate the poor fellow, or, it may be,
cut his body fairly in two.
* * The chase often lasts a considerable time. So long as the line and
the harpoon hold, the animal cannot escape, because the buoy always
marks his whereabouts. At length, from loss of blood or exhaustion
Behemoth succumbs to his pursuers."
ATTACK OF A HIPPOPOTAMUS AND OALP.
Several travelers testify to the harmless and timid disposition of
the hippopotamus, but a majority of those best acquainted with tlie
animal's habits declare it to be one of the most furious and vihdictive
of beasts, and this latter opinion I believe to be correct. Livingstone
describes an unprovoked attack made upon a canoe, in which he was
traveling, by a hippopotamus, and his experience with the beast led
him to believe that it was dangerous at nearly all times. Baldwin
mentions an instance where he was set upon, while in a canoe, by a
female hippopotamus and her half-grown calf. They were moving
along quietly over the water without a susi)icion of harm when the
animal bolted from the reeds and rushed upon them with the greatest
fury, seizing the boat in her jaws and tearing it so that, but for a
lucky shot he gave her, he must have been left floundering in the
ift floundering in the
THE WORLD ASHORE. ggg
water The calf appeared no less Vicious for he fnn
boat with open jaws and was bent on doin' ,], V ' '^''°= '' ''^^
power. ° """'"o "" <^^e imschief i,, his
Another attack sustained by Baldwin he. ^u a
mustered a stron- nartv of fiff ^'"'^ " *^"' describes : - ^^r^
and three fenov:s%rcI/b^^^^^^^^ *"^ ^^P*"''" ^'^ ^^-' ^-aal
walked a long way wZTt L. aT^ ^^ """l^'T' ^'' "^ «"^
jumpeu up close to me, and I g^ve h"^^ n lit "f /", "'' '"^"^"
which brought hi. to his kne^, J^ sriri^f^il^^;!:;:
BATTLE WITH A HIPPOMTAMUS.
z, tJT^:zi':7 " '"'1 r"-""" '^'"s -'-p o'o- in-
■« I howed Xlf h ./ P^^^o-J-d to <=""vl i" o., him ; hut just
at me atTlTCefj h"'^ '° '"J/"^' "' -"«•- '» charged riiht
and round 1 le a "„ ^LIT ""^ '"''' """'' '»"<''' ^im spin round
effect, n,,' d hi tith a ht ™ 7T """"'' """ '"' '^'"'^ ""'"'■"
kirn altogether T iT,, 1 ' "'"" '" ''='"' "" ™-e to lose
further and f .'rth '' '•«'""'«""? •■"><J was gradually gettin-^
and further a>vay into deep water, and giving ver^ poor
tsr}
I ,',t
w
.11 ' ^
f-^ i
Bdd
SEA AND LAND.
chiinces for a shot. The sun was shining so directly on him, that I
could not see to shoot a bit ; the footing was slippery, and I was half-
way up to my middle in water and mud, when I got a last chance,
and put the ball exactly between his ear and eye and killed him. The
sun was fast setting; the Kaffirs got him nearly ashore, and we lighted
three great fires with a cap and powder on the heel-plate of my gun,
giving it a smart blow with a stone. We fed on the hippopotamus,
but he was horribly tough."
A CLOSE CALL FROM A OHARQINQ HIPPOPOTAMUS.
Dr. Emil Holub, an Austrian, acting under an imperial commission
from King Francis Joseph, made some explorations in South Africa
during the years 1877-78-79, which were published in the German in
1881, though never transMed, I believe, into our language. His
book, in two volumes, possesses considerable interest, though it
is more of a scientific character than given to the record of adven-
tures. However, among the few thrilling incidents which he describes
is a hunt in which he participated with some natives in a small stream
in upper Zululand. The preparations made for this hunt included,
among other things, the building of a double-prowed boat, after the
European style, capable of carrying three or four men, with needful
implements of the chase. In this boat the Doctor took his place
with a native acting as guide and rower, while other natives were
scattered along the shore to give notice of the vicinity of hippopot-
ami, and to drive any that might be found, as occasion required, as
the Doctor was to do all the shooting.
The first day's hunt was attended with no success, beyond the
bagging of some inferior game, but on the second day, as the party
proceeded in a different direction from that at first taken, several
herd of hippopotami were found that afforded excellent sport, a half
dozen being killed and their bodies secured. Towards evening of
the same day, however, an incident befell the Doctor which came
near ending his hunt disastrously. His native rower had beguiled
the time on the first day telling the Doctor of his grea£ prowess and
courage, particularly on occasions when he had been brought face
to face with the gravest dangers in hippo hunting. These assurances
impressed the Doctor favorably, as they were intended, but, in fact,
only increased the peril which he was soon after to encounter.
A herd of several hippos being discovered along the sedgy bank,
the shore beaters drove them out by casting spears, some of which
directly on him, that I
lippery, and I was half-
len I got a last chance,
f'e and killed him. The
T ashore, and we lighted
heel-plate of my gun,
on the hippopotamus,
'P0POTAMU8.
in imperial commission
nations in South Africa
shed in the German in
:) our language. His
le interest, though it
) the record of adven-
ents which he describes
itives in a small stream
'or this hunt included,
prowed boat, after the
'our men, with needful
Doctor took his place
ile other natives were
le vicinity of hippopot-
s occasion required, as
3 success, beyond the
cond day, as the party
at first taken, several
excellent sport, a half
Towards evening of
le Doctor which came
e rower had beguiled
his great prowess and
lad been brought face
ing. These assurances
intended, but, in fact,
IX to encounter.
along the sedgy hank,
spears, some of which
668
SEA AND LAND.
stfuck two or three of the animals, one of which proved to be an ex-
tremely large bull. They moved out into the stream directly toward
the Doctor, who fired with no other effect than to slightly wound the
bull again, which now l>ecame so enraged that it made directly for the
boat, half wading, as the water was too shallow to swim the beast.
Another shot had no better effect than the first, for the hippo charged
with a frenzy that took all the courage out of the native rower, who
plunged precipitately out of the boat and scrambled with all haste to the
shore, regardless of the fate of his companion. The Doctor fortu-
nately did not lose his head, but with little excitement he awaited the
close approach of the beast, into whose wide-gaping mouth he fired a
third ball. This shot did not prove fatal, but so crazed the hippo
that it rolled and thrashed' around, until in its contortions it upset the
boat and threw the Doctor out. All the while it gnashed its power-
ful jaws and exhibited a blind fury that was positively awful to
witness. The Doctor did not abide long in the water, but hastened
out, and with particular rapidity away from the beast, when, gaining
dry land, he awaited the death or disappearance of the hipp», before
attempting the recovery of his guns and munitions, which were now
at the bottom of the shallow stream.
The beast succumbed to its wounds some hours afterwards, and
, the natives had little diflSculty in fishing up two of the guns, but the
other was lost, having been trampled deep into the mud by the animal
in its desperate throes.
CHAPTER XXXII,
THE WILD DOGS OF AFRICA.
ffMONG the many curious animals which abound in Africa
there are but few that are more interesting to the student
of natural history than the Wild Dog. These creatures are
not alone singular in their hybrid appearance, but in their
habits as well. They appear to be the result of an interbreeding be-
tween dog, hyena and wolf, since their nature partakes of all of
these. It is a question whether the Bingo, or WarragoJ, of Australia,
and the wild dog of Africa are not one and the same species. While
they are classed separately, I am inclined to the belief, after reading
THE WORLD ASHORE.
3h proved to be an ex-
tream directly towaid
to slightly wound the
I made directly for the
(vv to swim the beast,
for the hippo charged
he native rower, who
led with all haste to the
. The Doctor fortu-
tement he awaited the
iping mouth he fired a
it so crazed the hippo
ontortions it upset the
it gnashed its power-
is positively awful to '
le water, but hastened
B beast, when, gaining
e of the hippo, before
;ions, which were now
hours afterwards, and
) of the guns, but the
the mud by the animal
sen
lich abound in Africa
cresting to the student
'. These creatures are
)pearance, but in their
if an interbreeding be-
ire partakes of all of
^arragnl, of Australia,
same species. While
he belief, after reading
g of St. Petersbur, as nearly :,s -,ge as a ma.t^-. but the
i|^
i'. ,' J *'l'li
''■ I
j;<H ,;m;'_&
670
8Ba AKD land.
keeper .ssurod me that confinement and good feeding had made 5t
much fatter, and, therefore, larger than it i» found to be in its native
state.
Wild dogs are gregarious, always associating together in largo
packs, for the double purpose of mutual defense and for hunting. A
somowhiitfliigulur habit they possess is in their organization, for thoy
appear to be under a kind of government, and are great sticklers for
squatter sovereignty. Each pack is confined to respective districts,
over which they exercise such control that If a dog chance to over-
step the boundary of his own district, the pack which controls Ihe
territory thus trespassed upon falls upon and slaughters him without
mercy. Should game become very difficult to obtain in any district
the pack to which that portion of the country belonged migrates in a
body to some section which is not already pre-empted, and thence-
forth they maintain sovereignty thereon, which is very rarely dis-
puted.
WONDERFUL TENACITY OF LIFE IN THE WILD DOQ.
The tenacity of life which is exhibited in the wild dog is marvel-
ous. It has more than fox-like cunning, for when close pressed, and
finding itself unable to escape, It will feign death like the opossum, in
which condition no amount of punishment will cause it to throw off
the mask. It is related that one of these animals was overtaken and
that it at length lay down as if dead. Knowing the peculiarity of the
animals the hunters fell upon it with dubs and beat it so severely that
it was supposed that every bone in its body was broken, and that it
was dead beyond all possible doubt. After its supposed slayers had
moved away to some distance they were astounded to see the creature
get up, shake itself and hie away to the brush. Another apparently
dead dingo had been brought to a hut for the purpose of being skinned,
and actually suffered the, operator to remove the skin from one side
of its face before it permitted any symptoms of life or sensation to
escape it.
As a general thing the wild dog is a timid creature, always prefer-
ing to run away rather than to fight. But when hard pressed by its
foes it turns to bay with savage ferocity and then becomes a danger-
ous antagonist, especially to domesticated dogs, which appear to be its
bitterest enemies. In captivity it is an extremely treacherous animal,
never becoming tame, and, though timrd, it is quick to make an attack
upon either man or beast if it can do so unsesn, but after such au
THE WORLD ASHORE. ' gy,
')nsct it quicklv retrcafs tn flw. e...,u ^
o^'dfd in it- c<,iv,udly mieini.t I„ .1 , '*' "'■ """-
->!««•., being at ,.„ t'n./ Z;,,, :t j/r ^ '' V"""""'"
«i.i. t.,o „.e„to,t .i„a„o., ,,... it „,„ :c::ZaZ ;::a:r "
A I i- . *^°*' "^"^ WILD-DOQ8 HUNT
As before remarked, wild do.^s hnnt i.. . i . .
,v»ton,.ti« manner than the d^ ^Z T \ '" " '""''' "'""
to follow in the elui.e Th„i! 1 ''" I">un,i8 „„ are «eeu,t„n,cd
lope »pocie,;i» v„ ; Lt?f LfrT'," 1 -^ '-"•""■""^ '" "'» »"'«-
and tifo the,;, d«w,f di , ht^: ',: i:^,*;:''''' ""?''^ "r'""-" "- -"-g-
.e^ onntolleetna, re.nree: :,:r,d:;;:ri':S.t"'''"'' """"' " "-
Bechuana. U f.raeted Zl '^1:^^::^:::^:'--::!-^^'^ "'0
^z^z:z:^:t::::^\r-T"-^^-^'^'^-'y
a.l„ge, that ' ,n,e-h„lf of „ ' f , " '""'f'"' "'"' """""^ •!'« old
nvet ' It was at , n" ^ I '',t: "hr "'T' '.'7 '"' """"■ '""^
tl.eBecliuanas),th0 8wiftLIf 1; , ^^ '■!""'''«»'(".. of
.ho wagon „„i ^^^.xr::::ztzrzC'"^:Tr
foll,Mving heirK.,1, ' i, " ^"^ """•" ""="• "PPearanee,
"ur .u„.rto atta:rti,;,:\™:::r;;.^"'vr '»■'''- ^--^ -^-^
were sittiuo- around tho! . fl i ! ^ ^' ^''" P""'' P'^^'P'^ ^vho
T ..c:";^,tilc;iHr'"^•■^'''''"-•'■'-«•■«
'" co,ne to hi, a«si 'u„,ce Wh ° T," " " "' '"'''" '"'' ""'^ ««"1""»<'"'<
i"g remained but the bones •„„r tl',„" „ ,' ^ "'" "'"" """'-
1-1.10 afterwards cJlle ejfo the s l::^ thf '""'n "" "'""•
i.v,u lui me sake oJ: the marrow. On farther
7>
SEA AND LAND.
M
luquii % I found th;U those people are in tho habit, when they »vv m\
aiitelopt , ov even uii ontrieh, pursued by tho wild doj^s, of ondetivor-
ing to fri<rhten them away, thin they may come in for a «haro of tlie
prey. One of the men, with much feeling for himself a id cotnpnii-
ionx, 8ai«], patting' his hand on his stomach, *0h, 1 am glad you did
not 8h(*otthe dogs, for th»' " often tind us a meal.'
• At another place the poor people were very glad, on the same ac-
count, that wo had not killed the lion, which had been trouble^oine
to us during the night. These children of the desert very promptly
described tho manner of the wild dog chasg, which I have since had
opportunities of witnessing. When tho dogs approach a troop of an-
teloi)es they select one, no nuitter how it may mingle with other on
the dusty plain ; tho dog that starts never loses scent, or, if he Iks,
it is soon discovered by thp pack, which follow after, as they spiciul
themselves tho more readily to regain it. While tho single dog who
takes the lead has occasion to make angles in pursuit of his prey,
tho others, who hear his cry or short howl, avoid a circuitous course,
and by this means easily come up again, when a* fresh dog resumes
the chase, and the other turns into tho pack. In this way they relieve
each other till they have caught tho animal, which they rarely fail to
accomplish, though sometin OS after a very long run. Should the}',
in their course, hap[)en to pass other game much nearer than the one
in pursuit, they take no notice of it. These dogs, of which there arc
two species, never attack man, but are very destructive to sheep and
goats, and even to cowj, when they come in their way."
WILD DOQ8 ATTAOKINO A LION.
Although the antelope and buffalo is tho favorite game of wild dogs,
when the supply is scarce they do not hesitate to attack any animal
in the forest, not even excepting the lion. The leopard falls an easy
prey to a pack of dogs, while baboons are thei) mo.>?t powerful iiiitag-
onists ; indeed, nothing bui sheer starvation 'vjH ivduce then 'o at-
tack these cunning and ferocious creatures, a m '!.ey , too, are always
found in large numbers, so that an attack means a terrible battle, in
which many on both sides are killed.
In bating a lion the dogs employ strategy, for they are fully cen-
se, \ ' ^ his prodigious strength and dangerous claws ; to rush in upon
bui ">ul^ ijo the sheerest folly, and this they never do. Since the
l;o4^ , ? p'j no wh' f thsit the dogs cannot follow, they surround and
drive ht'Q from covert to covert; when somewhat tired the lion comes
abit, when they Her an
rild do^s, of endeiivof-
0 in for a hIuh'o of the
• hirnwolf n h\ conipan-
Oh, 1 am glad you did
al.'
Y glad, on theHamc Jic-
had been troubU'honu!
5 desert very pioinptly
k'hich I liavo since liad
pproach a troop of an-
niinglo with other on
1 scent, or, if he 1 hs,
iT after, as they spread
ilethe single do;; wlio
in pursuit of his prey,
lid a circuitous course,
I a* fresh dog rcsiiiiios
n this way they relieve
lich they rarely fail to
ig run. Should thev,
L'h nearer than the one
jgs, of which there are
(structive to sheep and
leir way."
>N.
irite game of wild dogs,
Q to attack any animal
e leopard falls an easy
I' roost powerful antag-
vin V «!'jce then 'o at-
r ihe^, too, are always
ms a terrible battle, in
For they are fully con-
i claws ; to rush in upon
r never do. Since the
low, they surround and
hat tired the lion comes
TMK WORLD A8lio«R.
678
to hay, whereupon the do.^s sit u.mn ,i • .
-t, until ho .noves off „.:;,. m 1'"" ''""""'•^^' ^^ '' ^^-n and
t-k is always in the rear;;,. . t^7^'^'" ""'"^ <'^' ^^-' <'<>.'^' aU
-^i-W-rsinthere..;f,..-;~.;
"ll'i0l.0S8 tl„.y „„„_
i
'fr
A LEOPARD BESET BY WILD DOGS,
^^ a>-H IS c„ut,„uod uul,l finallj, some o„e of the *,..
c
674
SEA AND LAND.
emasculates the powerful brute, which so weakens him that he soon
succumbs to his persistent foes.
WILD DOQ8 THAT KILL AND EAT TI0ER8.
It is universally believed by natives of India that the tiger is occa.
sionally killed by packs of wild dogs. These animals are not numer-
ous. Their operations are of a character so destructive and harassing
to o-ame that no tract could support them in any considerable number.
Tho wild dog is apparently a hybrid, or cross between the wolf and
jackal ; at k"ast they bear somewhat of a resemblance to both, while
they are intermediate in size ; in color they are of a deep rusty brown
above, paler on the belly and have a black, brushy tail. They run
both by sight and scent, and their perseverance and endurance are
such that they rarel v fail io kill an animal on whose track they start.
From their manner of hunting and of their power of lacerating there
M no doubt of their ability to kill a tiger. Sanderson says : " I can
call to mind two examples of their powers. One morning two (legs
chased a spotted hind past my tent. One of them halted at sight of the
encampment, the other, which was in springing distance, made two
snatches at the exhausted creature's abdomen, and then drew off.
The bites were inflicted with lightning speed ; the deer went but a
few paces when she fell with her entrails protuding. On another
occasion I heard the yelping of jungle-dogs, and a noble spotted stag
came racing down an open glade, his branching antlers laid along his
back, and three wild dogs at hin flanks. They had only time to make
a snap or two when we interfered. The stag went but sr few yards
and fell, and was speared by one of my men. In the moment's hit-
m<r it had been emasculated, and about four pounds of flesh torn from
the inner part of tho thigh.
«« Similar injury might be easily inflicted on a tiger. 1 have seen
more than one flee from a flock of curs-a very mangy one galh.ntly
hohiincr on to the royal beast's tail on one occasion— and it is probable
aticre^would turn from wild dogs. The hitters' habit of hunting
almost exclusively during the day, would be in their favor in an en-
counter with a tiger. Their tactics are not to attack in f nmt ; they
never expose themselves to the horns or hoofs of powerful de^r.
They would bite a tiger, should he run from them, in parts that
micrht speediW cause his death. A Sholaga told me that he once sa.
a tiger, conf linted by wild dogs, sitting on his haunches agauist.
bamboo-clump. The dogs, ten or twelve in number, were makn.gno
mm$^'
THE WORLD ASHORE.
eukens him thut he soon
T TI0ER8.
dia that the tiger is occa-
se aninuils are not numer-
destructive and harassing
any considerable niunbcr.
)ss between the wolf iind
Bsemblance to both, wliiK-
are of a deep rusty biown
, brushy tail. They run
jrance and endurance arc
)n whose track they start.
power of lacerating there
Sanderson says: "1 can
One morning two dogs
them halted at sight of the
iijrinjr distance, miulc two
r)nien, and then drew oif.
eed ; the deer went but a
, protuding. On another
5, and a noble spotted stag
•h'wn antlers laid along his
'hey had only time to make
stag went but it few yards
en. In the moment's bit-
r pounds of flesh torn from
i on a tiger. 1 have seen
, very mangy one gaUaiitly
iccasion — and it is probable
5 hitters' habit of huiitinii
be ill their favor in an en-
ot to attack in front ; thoj
f hoofs of powerful deer,
from them, in parts that
ra told me that he once mi«
on his haunches against a
in number, were making n«
675
active demonstrations, but walked ni«c« t^ w .
tiger maintained l.i, p„,i,i„, "i: dTs\v™M wi'thdT " T' '' ""'
d,> nothing against him i„ a front ataclT' • "' '" ""'^ """'<'
e.Sat's :;r:r r ,r tr '"% t-^ '"™'«^
i. so peenliar to them that th ^Z^ , ';","^;:t' f ''7 """"'"f
which they are enabled ti.et..lw .„ L ■ / """ ""'" """""'.
ration is Ll.jeet rdou ,, ^^t 1 1"° 7" """'"'• ™' "'"''»■
persons. It L n„ doub rl I a ,f "7"'"'"" ''^ """"^ '•^"'"''°
Lffaloesinthispollt m.n„e iTf- "T"'"" ''"'"'"^ '"•"'-
tare their game ify ham-strinX' 9 "^'f^ '""' """ "'"^ "''P"
aaimals thft they !"„"£;» b ' "' "™ "" ''"'' "' "'"'"
flanlc of a hartehees Car^^-^ I'Z ^^Z tT" T T' ""^ ^""^
animals. That thejave their ortof'?"' "' ":"" ''"'"""''
M the mooranfe ;'• ; r;" t ^ t "7" T'" '"'""''''' """
exactly like domestic do" TheT ^. '' """' <"'"""t<'»y,
fierce growls but hei^vo- ™°^, "^'"' ■»»'"'«>'* ""ger by barlts and
fromtL:;'ia;d„me:;i:r.'^^'''''''"*'''''' "" "- ^-"^ "^'-'^^
CHAPTER XXXm.
THE GORILLA -DOES HE EXIST?
h^f^.^'.t^r;'-^™- '-•' --oised over the <,„es-
' ;: r "' ■'.''e'_'i^'- there is sneh an animal as the GoriUa A
«".gular point in dispute was with regard to the e^s enee 0I
ly debated hy every learned person in Europe. It has at length
.-•; 'M
676
8EA AND LAND.
been settled that the gorilla is a reality, while the unicorn is a myth ;
but there are not wanting persons v.ho, if not still openly disputing
the claim, do entertain grave doubts as to the existence of the gorilla,
and their reasons for so believing are not without some force. It
is a most astonishing fact that the only African traveler who so
THE GORILLA.
much as pretends to have seen the creature, or even to have heard of
it through the wild tribes of that couutr_y, is Paul B. DuCliuilia.
This explorer and writer may be the very best authority, espcciiilly
since he brought several skeletons of the alleged animal to Boston aM
THE WORLD AsnoRE.
677
London, where they may vet bo sci-n R„. ■»,
credit on Du Chuilh,-, .taiment, H i, T' 'if.'"" ""^""'"« ''''-
too promptly accepted the ev^d™ ;;;,,",;' *'* '"'•"™«''' ^ave
skeletons, it i, t,.„o, speak for the,:,:,: t t ^'Te Ct r ,1 '""'
yet Livingstone, Moffat, Ande,' on O , ''° '°"'"' ^""«° "'"""y ;
go,illa seldom or never a c^.eet^,'',, ";.;''? "'"""^ 'I"" 'he
deepest shades of the innlle tI ,1 ; '"'"-^ ■'""»'- -■« "• <he
even when ™,ded, and wi,i not' /,u i^:;:::?: 'Jr l^t
a;ni;yrr;;s'::;,;;- r"'" '"^ '''"'• '''-- " ^"-^^ -"'• =--
..alt,* I tr ''""!!" "•""' ''"•"•'' ■'y I'" Chain„_„„|y two in
,1)'
■■ii
i
^ J.
e&
.1 ; :
IS . f ' I
678
SEA AND LAND.
development, food, and a hundred other things, not to speak of
malformations of birth, may account for the differences which we ob-
serve in the skulls of Du Chaillu's two specimens and those of the
authenticated orang outan. I do not say that the gotilla i.s a
myth, but until stronger evidences of its existence are produced we
may expect that there will be doubts of its existence.
Mr. Bowditch, an African traveler, describes an animal which he
called the Ingheetia, that ho heard f i-equent mention of by the natives
in the vicinity of the Gaboon river. He says :
»♦ It is in Equatorial Africa that the most powerful of all the quiul-
rumana (four-handed animals) live, far exceeding the orang outan,
and even the Pongo of Borneo." >
Mrs. Lee, formerly Mrs. Bowditch, who was with her husband in
Africa, adds the following { " Mr. Bowditch and myself were the Hrst
to revive and confirm a long-f<»rgotten and vague report of the exist-
ence of such a creature, and many thought that, as we ourselves had
not seen it, we had been deceived by the natives. They assured us
that these huge creatures walk constantly upon their hind feet, and
never yet were taken alive; that they watch the actions of men, and
imitate them as nearly as possible. Like the ivory-hunters, they
pick up the fallen tusks of elephants, but not knowing where to de-
posit them, they carry their burdens about until they themselves
drop, and even die from fatigue ; that they build huts nearly in the
shape of those of men, but live on the outside; and that when one
of their children dies, the mother carries it in her arms until it falls
to pieces ; that one blow of their paw will kill a man, and that
nothing can exceed their ferocity."
The exaggeration of this description is apparent, not only because
the assertions appear singular, but because they are in conflict with
well-known physical facts. For example : None of the ape tribe are
able to walk erect, for the reason that the spinal connection with the
skull is so far back that the entire weight of the brain and skull is
thrown forward and so overbalances the body. In man, the orifice
—called the occipital foramen— where the spine enters the skull, is so
nearly the center that a considerable portion of the brain lies behind,
and the head is, therefore, perfectly balanced so that the easiest
position is an erect one. A man is, ar^eordingly, just as comfortable
and natural while moving on ♦♦ all fours " as an ape is when walking
upright.
m^0^
THE WORLD ASHORE.
679
DuOhAILLU'S ADVENTURES WITH QORIULAS.
Since works on natural history treat the gorilla as a verity I will
not seek further to throw discredit on the belief, but add hereto some
of the adventures recorded in pursuit of the monstrous Satyr-like
creature. I have gone patiently through no less than eleven hundred
different books on Africa and found nowhere, save in DuChaillu's
works, any description of the gorilla, if I may except Hanno's (the
Carthagenian) account of a colony of the creatures he saw on the
west coast of Africa, B. C. 350. I must, therefore, confine myself
toexcerptmg from DuChaiUu, whose fame, however, I am glad to
assist m spreading, for he was a great traveler. In a work I wrote a
yeanjgo entitled; 'The World's Wonders,' ' I gave many ex^^^^^^^
DuCha.llus- Visit to Ashango Land," including a number of his
adventures with gorillas, and among the Fan cannibals ; I will now
quote from his later work, - The Country of the Dwarfs," being an
account of his visit to Africa in 1863. He writes •
-Gorillas were very plentiful near Nkongon-Boumba, and were
committing great depredations among the plantain and banana trees •
the patches of sugar-cane were also much devastated. I heard one
afternoon, that the day before gorillas were in the forest not far from
he village, and had already begun t<, play sad havoc with the plantain
"The morning after the news, if you had beenin the village, you
would have seen me, just a little before day-break, getting read/to
go after the gorillas. I was painting my face and hands with a mix-
ture of powdered charcoal and oil. After my toilet was done, I put
on my old, soiled panama hat, took one of my best guns, called
Odanga, one of my boys, to accompany me, and off.
" Ii was a lovely morning; the sky was almost cloudless ; every-
h.ng was still, and one could only hear the slight rustling of the tree-
tops move i by the gentle land breeze. Before reaching the grove of
pant.ni-trees I had to pick my way through a maze of tree-ltumps,
alf-burnt logs and dead, broken and half-burnt limbs of trees, wh^re
he land had been prepared for a new plantation. If gorillas are to
be ee„ ,n a plantation near a village they most generally come in the
eaiiy morning.
-By the side of the plantain trees was a field of cassada, and just
a I was going by it I heard, suddenly, in the plantain grove, a g eat
crashing noise, like the breaking of limbs. What could thi b^? I
680
6£:a and land.
Immediately hid. myself behind a bush, and looketi in the direction
from which the sounds proceeded. What do I see? A gorilla, then
a second gorilla, and a third one, coming out of a thick bush ; then
another one made his appearance — there were four altogether. Then
I discovered that one of the females had a baby gorilla following her.
"So do not be astonished when I tell you that my eyes were wide
open, and that I gazed on the scene before me with intense excite-
ment. These gorillas looked so droll, walking in the most absurd
way, on all fours, and now and then walking erect. How impish the
creatures seemed 1 how intensely black their faces were 1 how hideous
FEMALE GORILLA WITH HER YOUNG.
their features ! They looked like humans, but like wild men with
shaggy hides, and their big, protuberant abdomens did not make them
less ridiculous or rejiulsive.
"The goriUas went immediately at their work of destruction, I
did not stop them, but merely looked on. Plantain-tree after
plantain-tree came down ; it s(>emed to me that they were trying to
see which could down the greatest number of trees in the shortest
space of time. In destroying a tree, they fir^t grasped the base of
the stem with one of their powerful, hand-like feet, and then with
^HE WoftLD Asttom,
g.-oa av,d,ty , at another thno'^^h.^tmld „ J"^; "'"' "''"" " '^"h
-npy demolish the tree without «;"t^'™ ''""<'''''«. "^ would
the chuekle they g,,ve ,« if ,„ expres^tWi. f"'" '*'""'-" """"^'^d
-n they would sit still and look ZJa TT'T'" ' ^"^ "»<'
three fmes they looked i„ the di, octio^.Tv? T'""'"'^' Two or
gu.e , and was «„ eoneealod, that thet ™ jj' 'V ""'^ = '"•' I lay .o
wn,d was blowing from them to mo LT! T ""' ■"«• "»'' "« tl>e
fiendish their looks were 1 a cold sT.i^^.^ '' "°' """'^ "'«• How
for, of „„ themalignant expr ssio s had e "'"'^'' "'" ^"'"■■" '™-
most diabolical. Several tfmes Te^ sele/'i^r' """''■'' "^^ '"»
™"""'S »WV. and appeared alarmed Z, " "" "'^ I'""" "f
•": ^f »:i -- too "".-k of de::n,:'i'on"' """ "■^"- ^-Po-o
Gradually, withoufttui'g ,*:;:;■ ^'"'"^^'^ "'— r .he went.
d».k forest, and all at on^o disa„pe,red 1^ """' '" "'° "''«» "' «'e
I went to the spot where they 1, In Je t '1 '"'"" - '""-" » "-.-.m.
oae hundred plantain-trees down o th, '°? "'"' """""='' "ver
tlc-troyed. "^" "" ""' g'ound whieh they had
would make another vi.it tl.ere wi i .f ' ''."' ' "''" »"' """k ll-^
'b-ght I might see an antelope' t 'J d"l Z'"^ '"-"P^-"'-. but I
«sada.tree, of whieh they a'-e ve v'fonH ^ ^'"'"S '"'""^^ "*' ""=
barreled shot-gun, while Odan..a /,'.?' ''"''"■''' " '''?'" ''""I'le-
-"woLTiiititralrptiwTt "■"'"■ r """ ^—""^0
"Staking the lead in'the na;,';:!:;'' """'■' "■"" -g~.
"own the hill to crossover to he I' ',"'"' ^""' "'' ^ «^ S""":
»«Wenly fell „„„„ „ monstrlusiL f" f ""^ '""'""'' "Ave^
»<! looking directly tow d "L"^ "^I'i j;"' ";'''^?"'-'''-''-di, ge^eet
"se.ight of the gorilla) I l,e k„„ J ","" """'"»' (f« I dare not
Imgbtget my r&e and shoo d't|.?;''"°'' "'"'"'° '" ■"^' ^ ">"'
onedallinvain. The h„,.e 1 „t t 1 ! , f '"""'"•■■■ B"'I''eok.
"•to the great forest on all fou^ T r , T "'"' "'^" '"""O »»
;«» the matter with my bov Tut nio, '"""""J '•"-"<' to see what
fellow k.j ...,»., •'^ ''•>^' ""t "" Odauffa was to K« .„... m.
fi
il
fellow had bolted
(r"nandall;the«„„Uah:dfright:;:dT:
iga was to be seen. The
and he
G82
SEA AND LAND.
bad fled. I was furiously anj^ry, and promised myself to give Odanga
such a punishment as ho would not soon forget, that lie might not
pliiy me such a trick a second time.
" On my return from Nkongon-Boumba, a great surprise awaited
nie — a live gorilhi. An old chief, a friend of mine, named Akondogo,
had just returned from the Ngobi country, situated south of C:ii)e St.
Catharine, and there, with some slaves of Olenga-Yombi, he had
killed the mother, and captured the rascal before me. He was biirgor
than any gorilla I had captured, or that had ever been taken alive.
Bigger he was than Fighting Joe, which many of you no doubt
remember. (See World's Wonders.)
" Like Joe, this fellow showed the mos<^^ ungovernable disposition,
and to bite somebody seemed to be the object ne was always aiming
at. We had no chain with which to confine him, so that a long
forked stick round his necW, was the only means we could employ to
keep him at a safe distance.
CAPTURE OF ANOTHER GORILLA— A PITIABLE SPECTACLE.
♦< A few days after my return home one morning, a strange sight
presented itself in front of my house — a sight which I firmly believe
had never before been witnessed since the world began. There was a
great commotion and tremendous excitement among the Coninii
people. There lay, in front of my bamboo house, a large female
gorilla, bound hand and foot, alive, but frightfully wounded. There
was a large gash in her scalp while her body was hacked and covered
with blood. One of her arms had also been broken. Now and then
the creature would give a sharp scream of pain, which lent horror to
the darkness by which we were surrounded, the half-dozen lighted
torches making the scene still more wild.
"This adult female gorilla had been mortally wounded in the
morning, and lay on the ground senseless for a long time. A bullet
from one of my hunters had fractured her skull, and while in a state
of insensibility she had been securely tied to a strong stick, and in
such an ingenious manner that there was no chance of her escaping.
Her wrists and ankles had been tied strongly together, while the stick
had been adjusted between her mouth and feet in such a way that she
could not reach out to sever the cords with her teeth. Hanging from
her breast was a baby gorilla (her child). The little creature was a
female but a few months old, and now and then, after feeding from
its mother's breast, it would give a plaintive wail. By the side of
both stood a young live male gorilla, a fierce-looking fellow, which
THE WORLD A8I10RE. ^,^^
seemed afraid of nothing, and Icckod nround with if. i
fiendish eyes as if to siv ' Wl,..f i , ^"^ "^^""^^ .iri-ayi.sh,
I *i 'I to H.iy, >Miat does all th.s mean •-" \w <? «
nU CHAILLU'S CAPTIVES.
lit up by the ruddy glare of the
natives' torches, and they seemed
even more repulsive than their dead
companion. What a commotion
this sight would create, I said to
was nn «lon« f \r myself, in a civilized land ? There
mother. W """ '"' "^^'^^ '''' '"^'''''^ -'•— "^ the wounded
gorilla unlyi^'th^'eorr '' ' ' ™ ^" ""^""^ '^'^^'^ ^' ''^ ^'^^
pal2'rrnd\rnr"-'r'''''''^ P^^^^^^^^-^ ^"^ photographic ap.
S the vn. " •'''f'"' photograph of the wounded mother
With the young one in her lap. The night after I had taken the
•i
m
f--
■tr -1
684
fifiA ANt) LAND,
picture hei* mouniiigs had be^..ino more froquciit, and In the momiinr
they gradually beciimo weaker as her life ebbed out, and about ten
o'clock she died. Her death was painfully like that of a human h( -
ing, and her child clung to her to tlio last, and even tried to obtain
milk after she was dead. How still was that fierce, scowling, black
face ! There was something so vindictive in it, and at the same time
so human, that I almost shrank from the sight as I contemplated that
wonderful creature which God has made almost in the imago of man.
«' Now, all I had to do was to take care of Tom and Minnie. Torn
gave me no trouble, for he was quite old enough to feed upon tiic
nuts and berries that were gathered for him, but with little Minnie it
was a different thing, as she was too young to eat berries. Happilv,
I had a goat that gave milk, and I fed her as best I could, but t>\\c
lived only three days after her mother's death; she I'ied the fourlli
day towards noon, having' taken an unconquerable dis'.ike to goat's
milk. She died gently ; her tiny legs and arms had become shriveled,
her ribs could all be seen, and her small hands had wasted to almost
nothing. She died on the little bed of straw I had made for her as
if she had gone to sleep without a struggle."
Du Chaillu had but little better luck with Tom, for he, too, died
after a short captivity, though not in his native land. A ship havinir
landed with supplies for Du Chaillu, he placed the gorilla in charge of
the Captain and consigned him to Barring Bros., London. A quan-
tity of plantains and bananas were sent to supply the precious creatuie
with its natural food, but these were exhausted in five days after de-
parture, and as his appetite could not be tempted by the offer of any
other kind of food, the poor animal died of starvation on the seventh
day.
ATTEMPTS TO DECEIVE THE PUBLIC.
Some years ago a young ape was sent to Berlin where it was placed
in the Thiergarten and pronounced a young gorilla. The groalest
interest was excited by this, as was alleged, the only gorilla that had
ever been brought to Europe or exhibited in a civilized country;
naturalists from many different countries paid the wonderful curiosity
a visit, all of whom, I believe, were quite ready to acknowledge it as a
veritable gorilla. As the animal increased in size, however, the typical
features of the orang outan began to appear more positive, until at
length it turned out to be, sure enough, one of those rather comraoD
creatures, when the naturalists laughed at each other for being ** taken
in" by the not very clever deception.
she I'ied the fouitli
TUB WOULD ASHOHE.
A deception even nioie g|,„.|„„ ii,„„ .,,„ „ ,,.
.™.e,l u,,„n ,„a„^ „,.tu,ali,u l,y 11,,°,'"", " "' """ l""!""
" as „ gc'lll,., to the g,-eat deltht h '^If-km-s, ,.„d ..xhibfted
a iro,in„. because it wa, too^„,Hr.„ be f;,'':'''- "'""»'" "■ ■""»' ^e
McmaidH and unico,™ . ''f"" "« ""y'l'-ig else.
-n.oriaU and we hav:i eCI,,™ ll/'lt^d"';" tf""' """ "-
H.ch e,-ea«„.es, ,„any of wh„,„ cl..i,„ ,„?'" "'° ""'«•"'«<"''
li,ea„i,nal.s while at one ti,„e there v! n? """ ''^''-"''""'»*'™ "f
»li.. did not b„lieve a, i.nnlicitly i , the , ," ■""'""" '" "" E"™pe
!:■■" '-- - they didS,, '1!L ; , ':"tl'''"''™'"' -■'» <>'
."itii a go,illa ig bronsht under the „v "• . "'"''■f"'" '■'Poat, that
>i»<- who „.e fan,illa,- at le^ « ^ ;,"'"'"" ""'"f "I'l-'oved scieu-
people, while not dcyin-, wi I ,o , „ ,,"""" '""'''^' '■"''l-'"=''<led
i" A.iea. „,. in any '>L:iJ:^:'::::tJZ:^::!T """ ^
a» one „,- the ,„o.t ^lall' Z^r:Zf :!:" "■?"' """" '^
h"".a" analogy, thai roan,, upon the f. ee „f M T '" '"""^•>''>»t
l« "«.et.ed, if such an a„in,!l ,./",,;' ' "f K " '" ""•"'' '"
•;'"" a single authority for all the Z , " '"'™ '" '><='><""i
'U f..,. of all the interfst ;",,:;': 5:,- P"-7- -nce,„ing
Ihegc-illa, and the natu.Jii is elnV „ u ■""''^ """" '^""x^d
""M<m respecting ^^ °'"'""'"' '^ «»"»ta„tly th„-sti„g for ,„o,-e info,-.
Since species a,-e at war with each „ll,„,. .
rioaal battles take place between th """' '"'■""" """ "cea,
glo. Many wi,,,es e In. e des ,-ut't'' -Kr' "--ehs of the jun-
Pl".nts, h-ons, ti.e.-s and other ,!/?'■' '" """'""' '"''"<""" ele-
wi.o»haiide;iet',«g'b :„"::::,: t'"'"-"' "'°'""='^'' '••"
™.n,ing, the prowe« of ,,;.,! ,.' "'"' ?'"'« «itl> a human
.i.at G^d has gi^ „ hf ^'''T^r'i »»™ -'^^ ">» weapons
»oh possihilitls of b.t,^; ^ ^''""'"' '" "'* "■■'='"' P^<^««"' m,
'0 give fo,ce to\is ;ile,,rs .Vsa,,!:'"''''''''^ ""'"'' '''"" ™"'^ -"»
A fight between two full m-o^v- r-r rUl. . ,
terrible to witness ..nd', J / , " ^ i "''''^ ^'^' '^ '''^^t almost too
i"g upon thd :• d Is :;• ^ ;: 't"' '^^^^"''^"^"- «^^"^-
m leg., beating the.r breasts, and giving, forth suci,
686
SEA AND LAND.
hoiirso, woird, puttunil Ijowls, gnashing their teeth and wrinkling their
brows in u diaholical frenzy, the picture becomes bo gli()ulinh inid
devilish that the strongest liunian counigo must give phico to the
groiitest fe.ir, for in (he monsters wo beliold images more frightful
than a disordered brain has ever conjured up. Such buttles are but
i
rarely witnessed, owing to the seclusion of the countries inhabited by
gorillas, but the savage nature of the animal is sufficient evidence
LUuL (.UCS6 LuriinL v;t>iiicsi.3 «tv iH/t iiixi vvjltT. i^t,«
DuChaillu tells us that the gorilla and leopard are avowed enemies,
and that between the two battles are not uncommon. Though he
'**-'*»u;4
"Hifc^,
THE WORLD A8FIOUK.
lard are avowed enemies,
micomnion. Thoucrh he
687
never claims to have seen hh,.U ,. p. 1*1.
;i- o, A.,-0, „ho :::„":,!;: .f;;;;:;r:,f[,^" 7» -,..
In... tl„. i„,„t realistic desCTi.rticn, „f " <'l"in,.t,.r, g„v„
>vo l,av<. ',„,„ al.lo to jr^tt • it ,u,,„ ",-, t| 1 ' "'"' '"'""""■" """
""■". -""■« "' -*^-.- a .o„,„„.,| '; : 'J ;;';;;'■» "'-.v. .„.„.
oo„„,g „|,o„ this „„i,„„,, ,„„st f,.e,,,„,,||„ i" ' ""l'WI'»ln,t.iry |„
pati,, or 8tcali„g f,.„„, t,-eo to l,-o,. ■ '""'*-""-■"'■ 'I'" l«.p.i.'(l's
;."tii witi:i„ .,„;,gi„„ d,:„,!;'"T, ■ Si ''":^'"' -'■" '"■' -^ -■s'-t
J..»Mfle<l, since it is asserted tl.at tlT^ ' '"" "P''™-- f"'ly
disposition to avoid givi, ,M,. ^ t tl ''""n '"''"'' "'"^ »'>'"- ""^
i. ...uch tl,o„,o,.o n^>vcr?„l (-!,'."«'"■" "'"™'">""Sl' the lattc^
within its advor,a,-/s da vU,o .trin;""," "' *''", '''"'««^ -'-•'' '-
aa.I endeavors to sLe ti.e I an • f , "S "'"^T "-' «'■»' ""-k,
dreadful grasp tl,e Lcautiful unin , i T ' ? "''""'™ '>'i'W" his
..fte,.it lies dead f,.„„ a b t ' , ; ':,' ^j. '"^ ''.'""r' »"<• » "---"t
crushes the vertebra) of its neck S , L", ', ™''™"''™ "'"'
.1<- not ,„a„gle its vioti.n. ...t l.t f ;',"","^r""'^ "'" S°^"'"
oonvinecd that life is extinc an 1 m ^'"^ "'" '"""""" I'" '•"
h' making a noise „h I , "ir:.;""'"''; r"'S™"""""S '"".-If
a chuckle. Shonid ho .■eceivo nv ! J ? ''""' " K™'" ""J
certain ,„„„t which g,-o, s in son' el ' "' "'" '"""" '" «-l'» »
»"J makes a l.o,,ltice^,v,:s:u "'':'"'' '" "■« 0'"">"" co„nt.y,
'i.en applies it with all the ear L ""'^ "'"' ''" "'^■"'' •■""'
rateful application on the h „, t „ ' h ■ ■ "'r'/™'"'''' ''"''''"« ""=
lifting it f,.o„ time to ti„,e to ".tl el It ."' "'"'"' ■"'"'""'•
arc penetrating the wound Ti; .• , ' "'' '" *™ '' "'« J"ices
a.-e strikingly human "*'"'" "'"'" "'"» '^-tmS Ws injury
, ■"■"£ ORANQ OUTAN.
i»>caceof the f.,,'„;, w,,l ,",'''?'"''" "' ""•"""'""' "- '-
a.mnal obtained f r , , ' th 1 t lo'tl "f-"''" '''■■^^'■■""■™« "' ^e latter
i^ls. by which it wi. „ne..nio .""""'"'^ ""■•■'^ "^'"""-"l-
ccnfoundedthetwoaS 1" IT"'" !""•'"" """ ^" CI'-"" '"s
"..tan is not found nAWc' b / ",'"'""' '''^"'"'■'' """^ 'l>^'>'-.."g
nco and Sumutr" l.f ,' *"" '' ,"«'"'""■ »" S™th..east Asia. Bo,°
«»i-al is not onlv fr::::;;' ?:''.'.! .'""'"''f'/.'^ -l f«''"ong ,l,at the
ica also, as well
ly frequently met with in Africa, but in Sou'tl
^ ^
as in many of the Pacific i.sland
li Amer-
688
SEA AND LAND.
Tho idea of the Satyr was obtained from the oraiig outan,and it is
even now sometimes called Satyrus. The classic authors represented
the Satyr as of a more intellectual countenance and as wearing hoofs
of the goat instead of hands, but they preserved tiie reddish, chest-
nut hair with which it is colored. But the goat legs with which Satyrs
are furnished are not indispensable, for some quaint illustrations found
in 1530 represent the Satyr with true orang outan legs, and with all
ptbef features similar to th^t animftl,
3 and as wearing hoofs
ved the reddish, chest-
THE WORLD ASHORE. ^.^p
Dr. Lund has furnished us with descriptions of ih. T? •.•
orangoutan, which ho calls tho Hn. ^"P'""^ «t the Brazilian
the legends >f the na ves w ii^h tufT'' '■7'' ^""''"'i""^ ^'•-»
DuChaillu and theli:;^::'' ^ ^H^^^^^
the.c is no doubting J. identity f^^^e tl!;;:: ^ :' t^:^t
IS represented as he n^ eouil tn n,o.. ; * ^ . -^ -Liund it
>va,k^,g i„ the erect ;o:Ct IT e,t:;n,r;: " "'° '"'"'' "'
.la„ge..o„., ana t„ attack m nkin, Vtl ^ „ ■ 7% T" "■,""
• V • f , tnt^v^ooti, as being covered with lono- cnvi
. ng ha..- of a brown coio,, «, thick „,, ,„ l.cri„v„l„c,-„blo ox ent " t
single white spot „u the abdo.ne„. lis foot ai-e o-,,. fn ^'^^ .
t>vo heels by which it is enabled to f ilt, Z.!; 1 '''"'' "'""
„,al ,» traveling. It is decla,ed to be the king of the wild o", „ d
of s..eh cn,nii„g and i,n,,lacable disposition asl, be oe, intoTlt"'
any one who may k 11 its vouno- if ; . i ^'i'""io ac^tioy
half ape and half pi. and tint it ' ". ''^''''''''''^ ^^« ^eing
•1 * ^ u , t ^ ^' ''*^ '^ ''^ ni<)st frequently seen in flm
an^t of a herd of wild swi.io riding furiously 1 u.fbiek Z t
This sa,>,e legend is told alike by the tribes- of Woste.n Afrio.
::;;;srief:;f'Ttrrff ■''"'''''« ■-'""■'■ '■'•'"" -^ '''"^^'-'i-'
..iicauy siwkLii of. The difterencos noted in the descriptions of Iho
go.ma and o,ang ontan nniy be acconntod for by the 'f c |° 1
0 study Its habits ,n a domesticated condition, while the o,-,n.ont. „
.speifectly well known, being fa„,ni,, „„, J^ t„ ,;' .^f^
bill fai.-ly common in n.enagciies. '■■ivt.eis,
I.. " The World's Wonders " I have given ma.iy adventures with the
orangoutan. orniias, of Borneo, chit-Hy e..,racted f,- n wrutl'
excel eat work on the Malay Archipelag,;, so that I will he.e e nten
...yself w.th giving some of the habits ami pecniia.ities of til: a,;;™:!'
lh« Mzas-Pappan, a, the o.a.ig ontau is called in Borneo where it
-nis to be best known, is the Satyr-like and terrible ki„; U
gles. Befo.e n,an it is tin.id, a.,d, as previouslv renn.rked „il/ '
to escaiie until pressed to the last e.xtr'emitv, then its piiwer and fe^
roeityarewo„de,.f„l,f„r it becon.es more ia.,ge.-ous In he li<m
Loading an arboreal life its arms are very l„iig^,d muscular, enab , ^
(590
SEA AND LAND.
it to climb with facility, and to make rapid progress, swinging iudf
from branch to branch of the large forest trees, where it makes its
home. It has a curious habit of constructing for itself a temporary
resting-place in the trees by weaving together branches so as to foim
a rude platform, upon which it sleeps. Rajah Brooks narrates a tule
of a female orang outan which, when severely wounded, ceased hor
attempts to escape, and binding together several branches she seated
c
NATIVES HUNTING THE ORANG OUTAN IN BORNEO.
herself on the scaffold so made and quietly awaited death. The en-
tire process of weaving the branches together did not occupy her
more than a minute, and when the hunters ascended the tree to throw
down her dead body they found the platform upon which she refuted
strong enough to bear two or three men, and so level that they
might have slept upon it comfortably.
The arms of the mias are so strong that they can bend with ease
THE WORLD ASHORE.
691
N BORNEO.
-bey call bend witli ease
ai. mm rod half „„ i„<,i, j„ ji„,„gt ^^., .
»uch that the animal will attack a Icpard , d k i , ,^"7' "''''
i..g the neck. Although a ve.etahlo' ed'th I'^T' ", ','*•
the huge tusks with which it is ,„.nvl,l i "" "^""^ '<"•
its„.-incipal food. U, ke o he s If h ""™ """'""■"*» --titute
....tsbydashin.tl,emo„ le ' „d ,,l •''" '"l" "''" '"■™'' "">
powerful jaws and dnnks the' u ts 1 u':::™ fj^ ''W" "^
The oning outan. when take,, into .u,,-; /.'',: """""»"'«• .
its life, can be taught ,„a„y amusii,., IH . * T'' ''"""' '"
i..elli,e„ce bcyo„3 that eiiiill; fy ^ llXr ,;;?"">' "T"
(Huiily. It has been taught to conduct f "'"l'^"' "' ""= '"">*<'y
fcil.lc, to eat soup with a s„ „,? ' f , " """■ '"■"l»-''-''y "' '^e
■Singularlv cnou..h, t o i d, i, it 7 J'"^- """'"' ^""^ " «'"'<="-
yet in captivity Tt , " fe a vo a i'?" 1 ' " " '''^^'»'"° '■"■''-'
offered it whe-thci. raw rcooW e Iri i-etr "TV" '""'
ianty is found in its readincs, to '!t . ^""'^'" '"'™'-
siu-hpi-idc that the ,n,n, ent tnew sni' "?' "\ "■''■^'' " "«-'»
tea.- up the old one in 0,*:^' aviid nft:,':!.'': '""'""' T"
other civm^ed trait it exhiliits i, ., „.„ "! f " i^ • ^""'- '^"■
>i.l.."-. In other words it tl ,e a runhrd"'.T"r:' '"™^^^
..ess of a society dude, and is bwil';: , ' J ' f '' ,' ^''t r ■
::^,™:::;,:tf:;:'rr:,::;;r'----^-
trees, ,u d w 1,Z h,t' .^ ! "'-.g "u tan ascends rapidly the tallest
h ,™.uers, but rather, it would appear, merelv o ve t his ite
;^>^* .,f ^ ^
™
ORANG OUTAN KILLING A HUNTER.
692
THE WORLD ASIIOiiE.
69a
pursuers below, however nnao if ¥.. .*..• «• ,.
DOES THE MIA8 LOVE PRETTY WOMEN?
As previously asserted, the male mitis 'itt-iin. .„•.>,
.„o,.e thu,. six feet i,. height and havi ga : ';; e Ct'"w,''''""'
consider the bulk of his bodv h.o-n i ^ . ^^^''^^ ^^
o„o,™ou, pn,t„hen.„t;d,:^;:fe "::;;',:":''''""■' "r"=^ """
.roua a c-eature one six feet tall muTt h" No ZIT]" " T""
cope with such a ,nias a moment ; one troke of hi? T^'f' """
p..s...ate an „x and he eonh, tear'a ::;'He:.e:isirf .:;:;'"'''
and bears away to his han'nts"^ h * '1, ';rr'''T ""'""?
part ofaeour.eous bandit, never t,e^,!;himr ','"*' ''"^
ness.but boldin- her bva^entle .h , ''"^y"'"™ "ith harsh-
restraint. The hlZ wiefrf b' „ ^^ ' "™° "" '«^^ »ff«etionate
living in a land wC 1 u "t Ifs rf^Xm?:"!'''''^ ba"dsorne.and
hardy lovers of the chase and as .dv." tnron a h '! T* '"'^^ r
are sometimes overtaken in the forest hvcftv '"""' ""^
«ci.e them firmly in one arn, and ' off! Th le r'° °?"" "'"'
ilaving reached a chosen snot the mi-m crnfJinv^ i . ^^'^est.
monition which is not all scoldin</ 7 '7«'"'''^.<^o bestow an ad-
,, ^ . "THE FEROCIOUS MANDRILL.
an!!^r,tr;::rsio^'t,!e''r''r*'°''^"^"-"'" -^ *^ ■»'- *» -
tn,l . '>-'' °«'0'g8 to the monkey race, a native of West Oen
t. «l Africa, where it is known under several names, but toJl^u
" t
AN ORANG OUTAN ABDUCnNG A WOMANt
THE WOULD ASItOUR. ,.r,r
as the Mandrill This woiidiMfnl ....«„*
that ever, other a„i„,al, inolncli g t " j, '.ir? f "T1'
sagacity i. i» h.feno,- to all othc-sM ,hc a » ilvT" t"" '"
out some cunniiiff. ' ''"""y- t"'t it is not with-
With all its hideous, hobfrohlin-Iil-n no.^„„4- *i
laHy marked with wonderful , -^ , l' ? "'",""■'" '"' -•?"-
biiHis, but these en,l,ollisl,„,ent, of „', , „ ° '""'""'-'" "^ """"
and only serve to really in't L e un.V'r' TT'^'' """'"•
" A bright a.ure," says Wood. • . I , vs , ; , S " "";-■••'-«■
blue,' but on each side of its „os„ i 1 '^'"^ "' '"""'''"Ij'
■.a..aed, and s.o,,. t.:v::z.::^z.z "z::^t!^z
rr:r^j'ra';;r:^'::r'^^;;-:--r:^^;^^
balanced, the opposite end ,,f „•,,".'"■ ,"""»s *ould be equally
n.a.ic effect, be'iig He,:,:!, y' ^ ; f:;,:':;' ^^' -^ » <*-
I— d to give its full effec^t ^>yl^l;:^,:-^:x^z
The mandrill not infrequently attains a height of five feet and is
as muscularly proportioned as the oran^ oufn, ,v\mJV<\ ,
ia>vs are equally as powerful, but added tJ »,:::::"
sesses a hopelessly savacre disDosition .,nrl i= ,^ ^*^ '"•I'l^nll p„s-
violent hursts of passion! in wiLhIrir:,! faitStu'w h Z
such desperate n.oods it knows no such thing as fe, „J "m
^^2::rSi-s:--r;-~
,uick.e,„pered creatures, but c^t- Ife^^''" r ':: 1='
ttel.",?""" ,"!""' ""^ "'" "■'" ""'y '« ""f".-tu"..te e,„th f„"
nutate its^-oward temper. It will often call into .,i,l if t "o" ^°
"ing, and will pretend to have fo,l,t thtoV '" ™''-
decoy the offender within ,.eacl.,,f it: gl:;,''" '""""^' '" "'■''^'' '»
A MANDRILL ATTACKS A MAN
Loais. Several" c "e of ' ' " "'" '" """"' '^"''' '° ^'-
Id animals w;
8p«ce within a barn and, with the kesp
sre arranged around a lar»e
•er, we were looking at the sev-
696
8-.A AND LAND.
eral wild captives. Within a comer of the building, and next to a
cajre containinff several lions, was a well-ironed pen, which was so
dark within that we had not noticed the occupant. My friend chanced
to approach very near the bars of this cage, when in an instant a huge
arm was shot out from between the iron rods and a monstrous hand
o-rabbed him with great violence by the coat-sleeve near the shoulder.
At the same moment the impish creature screannd so horribly that
my friend nearly fainted from fright. Although he was a strong
man, the prodigious mandrill, for such it was, drew him against the
bars and must have done him serious injury but for the prompt aid of
the keeper, who beat off the furious creature with an iron bar which
he carried. The mandrill now exhibited a fury I never saw equalled;
it shook the cage, tried to break the rods ; jumped violently against
the sides of its prison, screamed most fiendishly and could not be
made to abate its violence though punished severely by the keeper,
and until we left it continued its frightful demonstrations, provoking
all the other animals to anger until the place fairly became a very
pandemonium.
WATCHING VILLAGES FOR VICTIMS — THEIR LOVE FOR WOMEN.
It is affirmed of these animals, which live in large societies, that
they frequently keep watch over native villages, and when the mule
population is dispersed to field labor, the mandrills issue from the
woods in great numbers, and enter the defenceless homes which
they proceed to plunder, despite the terrified women. It is further
asserted that they do not stop at plunder, but also carry off the
women like Ihe chimpanzee and mias. Wood says this assertion is
not improbable since it is strengthened by much collateral evidence.
The large baboons, when in captivity, always make a great distinc-
tion between their visitors of the two sexes, always preferring the
ladies to the gentlemen. Sometimes they are so jealous in their dis-
position that they throw themselves into a transport of rage if any
attentions be paid to a lady within their sight.
I once saw an illustration of this propensity exhibited by a large
Chacma ape in the zoological garden of St. Louis, which struck me
at the time as extremely curious. The specimen, which is in the gar-
den, is a very large animal, and old enough to be very sedate in his
i.l-_i. \. -. J~ ~..;^4- n'^A 4-n<.:<-.'>7<'. on'l sr't"«'»'P ♦h«l^ Ho xvill IIPP-
IlianWUr, SU LUU.t UC iri qutCL Uilu latiLurn, AIUA JM,- l«inr; i.i.i.. s. j-i
mit any one to caress him. On the occasion referred to the animal
was sitting in the rear part of its cage* apparently in a brown study,
THE WORLD ASHORE.
697
• i^ly occasionally opening its cjcs to furtively "lance at the .,. a
M were passing before I P,,,„„t,^ „ very pret v lirl t
somely dressed can^e l,v and paused t„ ioo'k at tlfe attii! i'n 'i: "
mnl. In an insta.it tLe creature jumped un run t„ tl? i f
;ng its ga.e intently on the girl, .ei ch^le; 1 , ' T "l"' ,""■
and thrusting out l.is hands fo.'ards'hert't!::' t Je Zat': 'Z
appealing manner; his every action was clearly i„dic-,tive„rhlf,
ing which had so suddenly smote him. The Jh- "nw ,
from the crowd as the ohfeet of his atte,^!:!',', t / u^ tt
^nn,se that the ugly, dog-faced creature had fallen in love with h"
When she moved away the chacn.a followed her with his eyes str^i '
n.g >s utmos to view her as long as possible, and when she va , h d"
he ecemed to be as utterly inconsolable as a love-lo™ u>.v
yoath who real,.es that his affection is not reciprocated. The !o
heart-b,-,d,e„ annual cried n,o.st piteously for hours afterw"ds ,nd
never left the bars the remainder of the d«v ,„..„t- "'•"™"'' ■"«'
iu the hope that the girl might m^ll. t,,' 7' "''""=" "'"'' "^"^""''-^
Wood also relates a somewhat similar incident which served to re
..pture a large chacma that had escaped fron, its cage In Part
''It had already baffled many attempts to entice it to its home
and when force was tried, repelled Ih'e assailants, severe y w , ZJ
sevemi of the keepers. At last a ready-witted keeper hit up™ a pan
winch proved eminently successful. There was a little wi dow t'^l
back of the cage, and when the keeper saw the chacma in f," t „?
t ; srh"e "" Tt siiT f "ir"""" '""-^ "• ''" ^'""-' -"p-trded
to k,ss her. The sight of this proceeding was too much for the ie-d-
ous feehngs of the baboon, which flew into the cage for the purp „
extermjnatmg the offending keeper. Another keeper w sstSld
ambush near the cage, and the moment the infuriated aninari-
tered the den, he shut and fastened the door."
THE HUMAN APE, OR CHIMPANZEE.
We now come to a creature which is separated from man bv a sin
^ If beT!r;r°"°'"'''""' *'''• ^' *■■'' ""'"Sht it appears that the
gulf between the simian, or monkey tribe, and human family =- -n r—
^^"t the idea of an identical origin could not be conceded i, 'I Z^Z
b™i,,hntsuchaco„cl„si„nistheproductofthemostsuperBcialin<,%
m differences of appearance, thought, action and character between
cm
SEA AND LAND.
an Americun of to-day and the Bushmen of Aust"alia, or the trog-
lodytes of South Africa, are so striking as to apparently controvert
the idea of the two belonging to the same species. Yet the anthio-
pohjgist can phiinly trace the cultured man and the savage back to ii
common ancestry. The link, however, which connects us with the
monkey is entirely wanting, and when wo consider that the ape, a« lie
is to-day, was one of the antediluvian animals, we are not encournged
to believe that it will ever be found. If we pa«s the line of sepimi-
tion between man and monkey \vc meet our nearest relation in tlie
Chimpanzee^ an animal which, though far inferior to man, is superior
to all other animals, while his structure bears a closer analogy to that
of man than either the so-called gorilla or orang outan.
The chimpanzee is found occupying a very small district, being
confined to Equatorial West Africa, in the section where Du Chnilhi
claims to have met with so many gorillas. Its range is about ten de-
crees on each side of the 'equator, but hardly more than one degreo
inland, being, apparently, a coast animal. Zoologists formerly main-
tained that the chimpanzee and gorilla were one and the same, but it
is now held otherwise and the two arc classed as belonging to differ-
ent families, although the distinction is by no means radical.
The tint of the hair is almost identically the same as that of the
gorilla, which is a brownish black; ai;d, as in the gorilla, the hair of
the fore-arm is turned toward the elbow, where it meets the hair of
the upper arm and forms a pointed tuft, while in other respects there
is a similar resemblance. The chih. canzee, however, lives in a social
state, while the gorilla is represented as being solitary in his habits,
though Du Chaillu mentions having frequently seen as many as seven
together.
Accordingto information obtained from the natives of West Africa,
chimpanzees build huts for themselves in which they live; this
statement is denied by others, however, who maintain that only the
female and their young inhabit these huts, while the male takes up
his position on the roof. The probability is that neither statement is
correct. The chimpanzee spends most of his time on the ground, it
is true, but his habits, when in captivity, show that he contents him-
self with a simple bed and never makes any effort to erect a roof to
protect him from exposure.
HOW« THE CHIMPANZEE FIGHTS WITH A OLUB.
One of the most remarkable habits of the chimpanzee, and one
which indicates the proximity of reasoning power, if not its actual
THK WOULD ASlIonE.
cm
0 man, is superior
'g
possession, Is the manner in which it (l,.fon,i v i* ,
All animals rely upon instinct a d tl oi , "tl " "'"" '^""^•'^"'*
themselves, save alone man and thl ! • '""''''""' ^^ ^^'''«»^
ficia. and mo.-e po^lfZ^t; I ^^ 'r'-^'n' ^''"^^ '^^^•-
other creatures do not possess 'Pho ni " >"toliigenco which
tusks^the incisor terur;- th v^i. h' ir''"\'^ "'"'' ^^'^^ ^^'^^
trees and cut ^own bushes of considerable s^ I nfVl'"' ^'""*'""
with its natural and powerful weapons u b J.h \ t"' "*' '^'''
Instead, it sei.es a ,a.^e club ancf attacl. w H^^
mg the weapon w th such force fh-.f .. .i^ "" Velocity, wield-
against one if unprovided ':[:: ^, /o .""" T '" r""""°
rendered desperate, has been known ' Tiie annual, when
b,„ncl,es so thiek that the , Ued t e „^ "fT ""' " "'"='" '■""''•
bead the™. Their n.nscnia t ^ 1 "» ^ "'"" -=""" — 'r
their power for mischief with a iarco dul. n'T! •,?'""''"""'' "'"'
strength whieh lies in their hindZs , r " v 'f \ '''"' """'
chimpanzee, in the zoological wardens of I^,'"/ ' »''"«''. "^nlt
The degree of intelliannpa ;« +j,^ u-
»««in« p^ver soe.s">h:";LT.: „tT:nrj:,:.-':' "i '■•; '•™-
wonderful mimie. It loves the «;,Sh T ! ' "'"*'''' " '^ "
grateful blaze until thefue is eL 1 „„, " T' '"" "'" ^'"'^ "»
to renew it, but will er; V'r re"^,, eTe'f ' '7"' """^^ '""'"'''"S
merely because the fire has U "d He l -•"■■•. ■-■'■"P^
but will never learn to dress him elf H ! '""*' "='"""'-^' "«'•
iathe wild state thitZr "f '«™>' *" "'"'I'rehend, when
«n attack be nrade b, ule'h , r „ ' V'LTZl'r'''''':^ "
assault of a herd nf oh;«,». ""« ne nees before the combined
faisiife b/cLTi ;L ;r^^^^^ t;''^" 't ^'•^^' ^^^ -^'^ --
the gun or .pear and eLedri^h ' '"""''' ''^" '^'^'l' ^°^ ««''^«
Geor,r«Tf """'^''•""^^ "'^«'^« O-^ THE CHIMPANZEE.
_ /^eorge Thompson, author of several work, on \fnc" in *
Z:Z:r" -''''' "ra.o:-W,. write, af ^^^l 7the'
lO"
i tl
700
6EA AND LAND.
♦♦ It is snid to be ty»o nearest approximation to the human iii th
animal creation — and it certainly acta much like mankind. I luiv
seen persons who had the features and expression nlmost precisely
at any rate a sight of one will immediately remind the beholder o
some person he knows. Some have been seen as tall as a man -.
from five to seven feet high, and very powerful. It is waid of then
that they build a kind of rude house of sticks, in their wild .slate
and fill it with leaves; and I doubt it not, for when domesticated lliei
always want some good bed, and • make it up ' regularly. If loft t(
themselves they will gather a pile of clothes beneath and around then
to make a warm and soft bed. And when they sleep they are entirolj
different from the monkey tribes, which sleep in clu><ters, sitting up
enfolded in each others' arms ; for the chimpanzee always lies down
as regularly as a man, on the side, and at times on the back, or Ir
other positions ; and thus will sleep and snore and cough (if it has i
cold) and wheeze as naturally as a child ; and gi'oan, whine and cij
so as often to be mistaken for a person. If the creature is crossed ni
vexed it will manifest excited passion by screaming, pouncing the
floor with its hands, holding its breath, throwing itself on the tloor,
etc., like a ' spoiled child.' If pleased, by giving it what it likes,
it shows all the joy amaginable, by thanking you, shaking the hand,
and kissing it, and by a peculiar ha, ha, ha, which shows its thank-
fulness. It eats the same as a man, taking very small mouthfuls
and chewing slowly and thoroughly. Its front teeth are similar to
human, but the *eye teeth' are short tusks from a half to one inch
long.
•' It has been taught to wash itself, to sit in a chair, and eat at a
table with plate, spoon, etc. ; and to go to the brook and wash its
dishes when done, and put them in their place; to heat rice, clciin and
prepare it for cooking; to bring vater; and to think as much of
fine clothes as any other proud man. If allowed it will help itself to
any article on a table it likes best, as readily as any of us. It smells
of every thing before tasting of it, and is very particular what it eats
— is fond of bread, crackers, meat, cakes, fruits and almost every-
thing that we eat. When sick, it shows it in the countenance and
actions as quickly as any person. When shaved (as I saw one), they
hold as still and act as properly as if they had been shaved a thou-
sand times. They can not talk our language, or be taught to read it,
though they seem to understand as quick as any body, on many
inEf very small nioutlifuls
THE WORLD ASUOHE.
points. This is truly a wonderful uniiiu.l Onn u
sold for $900 «omo years ago- but hev ,^°° ^^^'^^ from Africa
countries." ^ ^ ' "^ ^'^"^ ^« »°^ «ve long in cold
CHIMPANZEES ABDUOTINQ WOMEN
The natives of the lower Cou'^o count rv ..» :f , , ,
dn,„,.anzeo is .uilty „f nba.MugZ^^^tT'' f '"''""' """ "■'
.tat occasionally it seize, a man oH v I , , '""■''"''"'• '""'
.ex., is very uiffo.-ent. Wl>c„ Z ^L^J^^T"'" '" "'" "™
tentioDs arc so constant and l„»|.,l fh. , " ""'""" his at-
want of s,c„,„ but T 1: ^ "'^''^I'^^X"""','/''"/'"' '"'
gonorallv l.itt„„ to death and hif bo.le s' f , r &' ',7 "" "
l.ortsarc true or not we have no means fk' ^"'"■'''■" "'»«« >■«-
.cdcrcd probable by „ eirennistanceT h W„ 7 °' ' """^ "'•"
actnally occurred sol years «., , U „ v^v 7'^" "r'"'""^
He states that a particularly Nn^ H»ci„:„ ^ ' ^.r^itTd™"";-
cated m its nafve country, wl.ere it lived with its „ „ , . '"■
ane years. Ou one occasion a soldier c , ,e Z I ™"'^-
playingwitl, it, when «.ddenly the ;«,„„".„ .''■ ""'r™™™"
perfect ease, despite his struiles. il^^^Tp the 'tr '"7 ''''," 7'''
™ chained, when help can.eVnd he was .rued tne th "w! " ^ "
Ins novel experience. The circuni.if.n„.„ ,., ■ ' " '"^
Wh the po4r and the disp, it f he , "7"'?' " """'"'"^
dors the stories of the -.iles a o L hah "r ' ""'' '"''"'"'^ '■""-
"..I only possible ,,,,„J|e "' ""'••>""= ''"*'« »«.
fain;"!;:;;::-:/;:: bir r""" °"i"° ■"■ "^'""^ '» ^"^ "«-""-
similar. They live in inr.,. «„l • ' , ' '■"''«'■«'•. are very
favelers whoitn de „». n tht .'7'' '•'"' '"" '"" '"-'«'<' '» ""■'"k
a«n.ber has been :^^^ ^:T2 ^ ""^ »"- <- <" ^eir
Sirs ,,,— •--'": :Lr'"'''"^^°'^""'''^-
.rnrr ;:T"b--"^'-'^ ' .u^^:::-a,o„, .he .
feed to the riv fir water l^dt^""f T'"'' '^'^ "P' 'h^/ »-
l...,..:.„ ,.. , 'T. ""'" • "'"J "'« sliady banks, covered »!(!. I.....-V
'"o ="''""''» i'iduce them to renniii Tt :„ . ' . ^-'J~
these great male baboon. 7,. L-.' ^ ''^''^ """"'"S '" ""t"!"
all ages, the mothers cany ing their little ones upon tifeir
ff : = .'■ :"
f ■ *
-4 i)
r
I
of
111 tl
tlie
theii
list:
the
THE WOKLD ASHORE.
Iwcks, tha latter with a roaular iortv . •
"hile at ather time, they relieve tL*t, ''".""' """*' '■""'f''rt«'.ly,
»|.™wli„g at full length a,,d howL, T'"^ "' ""> V'Mon Uy
S..dUe„lya«ha,.p-ey:d yo^^Zl "T T*^-^' "'""' hair"^
'>-n™. ..nd hi, g,.eedy .„u„d,i'; be, J "r,.?"'; -"-"ered with
n.si,of youogrte,., takes plaee, and fu ^f ^'"ff"«'• " S«"'=™1
place, ensue, among the l,.,y, . thirl, """"''''''"g '"•• the be,t
™a,e, a large male, who euffs one ,., 1 ""r!" "'"'""'' "''"' d'-wn
another on the hindqnarter, LtTs'hl t" ""^ ''^ "'" ''""■'''»«'
back a wonld.be de,erler by I i .a", "J"ft ", '■"' "'^""P""' "'■=«»
tl'us he shortly re,torea orL ; ."1 tin. ,; f ^,"" """'""S'"^' "'^
l"ig under the bu,h and quiet ve° f''"'"'''' ''>' ^i'"
These baboon, have a great va"ttv o 7'"® ° '""■'«* ''y '"■»»^"-
."present their voeab^lary , T ITof thriT '•'"" "'V. I'-h-P^.
™d, a, their note, „f alarm andTh! , "'"' '" ""J««tand,
;vl;enlam sitting alone b'Xt ^Id":'";'' ""'"«"" ' "^ '
iiahits, tliey are not at fir,t ouite „,"'■"''' "^ " ^''"^ I" wateh their
may be, and they give a pe X ,yt"n'd ' "■'"' "' » ^^»"""'' ^
myself more distinetly." ^ """""" '"« '» '""ve and show
A LUDICROUS WAY OP Oadti
In another part of his " Nile T^-n™* """ "'°°'""° * """O"-
-ibe, a eurions hunt for ..aboon,, rst^::!.^''^'''-'''''' ^'"«"- «-
t.onXtz::„'irhtr:i"iT; ''"''-"^ --^ p-^-
»f the valley, when we observed I,'. ^''fr ""' '^ "'^''' ^'»P-
who were gathering „„m arii, V ',, '"" " '"""'""^ baboons,
'i-yato„:ewaddi:j:ff/:wo,i;i" ■': "r"'"^' "P"" -""'»? "«
» ft'v* (baboon)?- e« aim^ t ,„ '"''-V'^''-'' "'"'er) likotohave
tl.e astonished ape,, wh,/ findi .t , "' ']"""-"' "' '"" S-Mop after
'toir best speed.' T.rtroud CI """"?'?' P'"'"''''' """-* «t
lows, covered ecaniily wiM, ,1^ ""'S''' ''7'« f"" "f L.oken hoi-
-tend of turning to the riJhirr' " .""' "'"P"* ''aboons, in-
Semte, where they w^ulL' ^ be ::r:l:;:,^r-P """^ "' "">
»*a,ght eour.se before the hor,,., iT " "Sgageei-s, ke,,t
'ho very v„„„„ ,,..^,.„1 „' '"'^iT- " ™ « •■nrions l„n,t , sonm of
'«« now goi!;g at eir best .?."'' "° "',?''• '"""•™' backs, those
-- .ndioiTing ab::rd;;ur: ;: "Tf a""; '" "•■™' '"■"""'"■
'«i.o.ed the Arahs/„, were '^\^LfZ:'T2 XZ
Hi
closely
704
SEA AND LAND.
and with great dexterity two of the aggageers, while at full speed,
stooped like falcons from their saddles and seized each a half-grown
ape by the back of the neck, and hoisted them upon their horses.
Instead of biting, as I Hud expected, the astonished captives sat astride
of their horses, and clung tenaciously with both arms to the necks
of their steeds, screaming with fear. The hunt was over, and we
halted to secure the prisoners. Dismounting, to my surprise, the
Arabs immediately stripped from a mimosa several thongs of bark,
and, having tied the
baboons by the neck,
they gave them a mer-
ciless whipping with
their powerful koor-
batches of hippopota-
mus hide. The little
creatures cried most
pitifully, and at the
same time looked so
appealingly into the
eyes of their captors,
that my keenest sym-
pathies were excited,
and I tried to prevent
the further whipping
of the helpless cap-
tives, which ndw
more than before ap-
peared so child-like.
It was in vain that
I remonstrated, they
persisted in the pun-
ishment, otherwise they declared the baboons would bite, but if well
whipped they would become humble. At length my wife insisted
upon mercy, and the unfortunate captives wore an expression like
prisoners about to be led to execution, and they looked imploringly
at our faces, in which they evidently discovered some sympathy with
their fate. They were quickly placed on horseback before their
captors, and once more we continued our journey."
BABOONS AND GIBBONS OF SOUTH AFRICA.
THE WORLD ASHORE.
705
chimpanzee ^l IZt ^Z^^'^' ""-" - ^-d iu the g„ri„a»,
.be .„,t in.pa,sive hu„te,.» omt 'ou ^ <' 'i'''f''--'e'^'tZ
they have never been able t« coZ, • """"'^ ocknowied^e that
.bl.i.excitedwhenwi,ne:j;r :;:,:';;"'»'■■--« -hichC!
.^yjjB^lljf^^ "gonies of their victims.
HOWLING MONKEYS OF SOUTH AMERICA.
Devoid of the lieroeness and power of tl,„
more singular in its habits is tl,. H ,• J ™« outan, though
This astoulshinirly u onth littlt "r'"!: ""nkey ot South Ameriea.
-<• the ™„st re^e':erd eu^^, " isrrwhrr'r'' """ ^ '""'" '"«
^"-.ce is mirth-provokin.. to "d: 40 1^ "'^ ^'"';7 «»" «' o"""-
- -% takes it^s very'irpr- e "rt,:!: tZZ^
¥ I
f- .A
^ t^
''^ %^'..
706
SEA AND LAND.
it is more common for three or four of the species to go together,
and iu the tops of the trees they sit for hours at a time giving vent to
their dolorous cries. The cause of their making such strnnge noises
is net understood. Some naturalists have thought it was to intiniidiite
their enemies, but while horrible enough perhaps to accomplish this
purpose, this can hardly be the real prompting, since in captivity they
howl 0 less than when free.
The Preacher Monkey is also a species of the howlers, though it is
considerably larger than the kind just referred to. This latter is
about the size of a common fox, has long black hair and a beard very
much like the former. It is also a native of South America and has
received its name from the extremely curious preaching habit in which
it indulges. They are gregarious and seem to be governed by a
leader who, upon frequent occasions, ascends to the low branches of
a tree, where he addresses an assembly of his species which sit around
on tht ground below him exactly like a congregation listening to their
pastor. His preaching is not by chattering, as one might suppose^
but by howling in a voice so shrill and loud that he may be heard a
long distance. After thus emitting two or three screams, or howls,
he pauses a moment and then signals to his auditors, whereupon they
join in a deafening chorus which is prolonged for several minutes.
These quaint exercises take place usually early in the morning and late
in the evening, never, I believe, during the middle of the day.
CHAPTER XXXIV.
THE MIGHTY GRIZZLY BEAR.
IhE lion, tiger, elephant, rhinoceros and gorilla are often re-
garded as being the most powerful and dangerous animals
that are hunted, but so far from this being true, it is much
to bo doubted if either of the iive named are so ferocious
and difficult to kill as is our own North American Grizzly Bear,
and, so far as my own experience extends, lam frank to say that
I would rather meet any other monbter that roams the wi'.ds of
any region, than to face a grizzly bear. No other animal manifests
BO little feftr of njan, and \yl)ile other beasts flee befo^^ \h^ &.-at sceut
™E world A8B0SE.
The g,4*;::;'r "-:^7 <" h.,,.. ^ ■'"" '-"-"y at.
P^ferooce n,„y be for fesh mlrM?" """ '"^^ "-"ty. His
haunts a,; invSw ''.'°''^"' ™'7 '"'Wom - brow ,. fS " "" ""=""-
«^^l.v B„, cA«y»„ o„ . „;i
; e -e ,U .shT," eif r:;;r-'''''^'-M.i,eadeer„ffeets
"■"uanjr othe.. y^j meat T h/ '""""^ """"""* ^'i'™
""«• As he ,s a poor runner, while his
! \i
} ill
708
SEA AND LAND.
quarry is remarkably swift of foot, the grizzly resorts to a strategy
that is very cunning and none the less effective. When upon the
hunt he throws his head aloft frequently to sniff the air for a scout
of the game; when he discovers that a deer is somewhere in the
vicinity, he soon learns the direction, and, trailing the scent, so to
speak, he moves cautiously, his nose never failing to indicate the dis-
tance the deer may be from him. As he approaches closer his cau-
tion is increased until he may be observed creeping along from one
tree or rock to another, always keeping some objeet between himself
and the game, occasionally stopping and lying so flat and motion-
less on the ground as to appear as a stump. He carefully marks the di-
rection in which the deer is feeding, and manages to get the ani-
mal's wind, when he carefully conceals himself behind some shelter,
not, however, obstructing his sharp look-out, where he waits until
the deer approaches close enough for him to spring upon it. Though
extremely wary and quick, the bla(!k-tailed deer seems to be easily
cauf ht by the grizzly, for venison may be said to constitute its most
common food.
After securing his prey the grizzly seldom begins an immediate
feast, preferring, it would appear, to first bury it and to dig it up a
day or two afterwards, when the body s permeated with the moldy
flavor of the soil. Nor does he bury the body on th-j spot where the
capture is made, but carries it in his arms to some place, not, how-
ever, far distant, that may suit his fancy, where he digs a shallow
hole, into which he carefully lays the deer, and then covers it with
sticks and leaves as carefully and intelligently as a man would.
PERILS OF HUNTING THE GRIZZLY.
More men have been killed by grizzly bears than were ever slain by
lions, and of the two animals the former is very much more to be
dreaded. The lion, though desperr.te in an encounter, is a coward
before man ; besides, it is not very difficult to kill. On the other hand,
the grizzly is aggressive and quite as tenacious of life as the crocodile,
Indeed, they have been known to continue to battle furiously and
pursue their hunters with great persistency, when pierced with twenty
rifle balls. A gentleman of my acquaintance was killed by a
grizzly that had been shot as many as seventeen times, but which still
continued active and able to outrun a fleet hunter. The incident miiv |
be briefly described as follows :
The friend who thus met such a horrible death, was visiting some
;ly resorts to a strategy
3tive. When upon the
miff the air for a scent
?ir is somewhere in the
railing the scent, so to
iling to indicate the dis-
jroaches closer his cau-
•eeping along from one
5 object between himself
n2 so flat and motion-
e carefully marks the di-
lanages to get the ani-
elf behind some shelter.
-,, where he waits until
spring upon it. Though
leer seems to be easily
id to constitute its most
tn begins an immediate
ry it and to dig it up a
rmeated with the nioldy
!y on th.D spot where the
3 pome ^lace, not, how-
kvhere he digs a shallow
and then covers it with
y as a man would.
tIZZLY.
5 than were ever slain by
8 very much more to be
in encounter, is a coward
I kill. On the other hand,
s of life as the crocodile.
to battle furiously and
vhen pierced with twenty
ntance was killed by a
een times, but which still
inter. The incident may
death, was visiting some
THE WORLD ASHORE.
709
relatives in Sacramento, intendino-f ^^'
M region. Being a g/eat ^^ "^^^^ "^ -inter in thatdellg,,.
t»o.>^of some ac,»aintances to go "P- a^:^^^
'as.
SAD RESULT OP A GR,zz,v BEAR HUNT.
— '» "CAK. HUNT.
The party ^as composed of fn,,,.
;« ever before pe n'etrl/tfo Sfof r^ """"^ ^'""" <— '•
"' "' '"""^- The^ toot wittrra coit::'^." ^^"'^ »"^«""s
" <'»'»Plete camping outfit, in-
iiu
710
8EA AND LAND.
tending to cast their tent in the country which they thought most
promising for their expected sport. In addition to the tent, they had
a half-dozen excellent dogs that were loaned them by a gentleman liv-
ing in the vicinity of Devil's Pouk, and which had several times be-
fore given chase to grizzlies. Being armed with repeating rifles, tlie
hunters anticii)ated no accidents, and were anxious to give battle to
the great kings of the mountain fastnesses.
It was in the winter season when they started and the snow jjiy
several feet deep in the gorges which they penetrated. The first
day's hunt resulted in the killing of only a single deer, >)ut they had
discovered the tracks of a grizzly which, however, were not fresh. Ou
the following day they arose early and traveled as rapidly as possible
along the trail, and toward evening their dogs gave tongue which told
plainly they had come up with the game. The gentleman who after-
wards fell a victim to the ,animal he was hui ting, being somewhat in
advance of his companions, was first to sight the bear, which he dis-
covered sitting on a rock bayed by the dogs. Much excited by this
discovery he did not wait for his associates to come up, but immedi-
ately opened fire and succeeded in wounding the animal several times,
but it nevertheless made off jp a canon where, owing to the great
rocks and dense growth of pine, it was Impossible for the hunters to
follow.
The gentlemen returned to their camp much disappointed, but not
discouraged, for at break of day they renewed the hunt, separating,
however, so as to cover a greater extent of country and thus increase
their chances of falling in with the first one or another grizzly. To-
ward noon three of the party heard the dogs barking a considerable
distance off and apparently down in a deej^ valley; shortly after sev-
eral shots were hearc and being now convinced that their friend was
engaging some kind of game they hastened with all possible speed
toward the spot from whence the sounds proceeded. The dogs con-
tinued their barking with increased violence, but as no more shooting
followed fears were excited that some accident had happened. Nor
were their misgivings without cause, for as the first of the three came
in view of the place where the noisy combat was waging, his blood
was fairly frozen with horror as he discovered the dead body of his
friend lying half-covered in the snow, while a monster grizzly was
standing over it fighting off the dogs. The other two came up
speedily, when the three opened fire and after discharging a score or
ley thought most
the tent, they had
Y a, gentleman liv-
several times bc-
)eating rifles, the
I to give battle to
ind the snow hiy
trated. The first
eer, >)ut they had
jre not fresh. Ou
apidly as possible
tongue which told
bleman who after-
leing somewhat in
ear, which he dis-
ch excited by this
J up, but immodi-
mal several times,
ving to the great
for the hunters to
ippointed, but not
hunt, separating,
and thus in^i'rease
ther grizzly. To-
insf u considerable
shortly after sev-
it their friend was
all possible speed
d. The dogs con-
no more shooting
d happened. Nor
of the three came
waging, his blood
dead body of his
onster grizzly ms
her two came up
jharging a score or
THE WORLD ASHORE.
711
more of shots succeeded in kiilin-r tl,„ f„, ■
'oilow who had fallen „ Victim "tohU ':'"": ""'"""■ '^'«' !>""
n.angled, «, that his body could h.rdll ,"'Pf"""^y »»■< horribly
for the knowledge of the "lircu^Jsto^tf wS t" '''^"''''^'' "™"'
wnich his companions had.
• il
CATTLE AiTACKED BY A GRIZZLY BEAR
When the bodv nf tUr. u__..
wound, were d-'is;;™.:d7:'xr, TTtu" !''' *'""' *"^-"y-"-ee
-'»-» the dead .a;C.:;:futur^-^^^^^^^^^
12
BBA AND LAND.
tuken and toni the hunter, though wounded (*o frequently as must
have speedily killed uny other animal.
HOW THE GRIZZLY BEAR ATTACKS CATTLE.
It quite frequently happens that excessively cold weather ami
scarcity of food drives the grizzly out of his accustomed haunts, and
prompts him to forage among domestic flocks. His depredations
are nearly always committed at night, for he is a cunning fellow, and
quite wise enough to know that discovery would pretty certainly lead
to a chase by dogs or a physic of lead. In his fcrays upon the cow-
yard he conducts himself with great caution, and lacks only the wk-
dom of knowing that his nttacks must cause enough noise to awaken
i,he soundest sleeper. He creeps with soft tread and slow motion,
and mounts whatever fence may interpose with the utmost care, com-
ing down backwards on the inside. The cows arc very liable to give
the alarm before the att&ck is made, for the grizzly gives off a strong
scent that inspires terror in all domestic quadrupeds. As they rnsh
round the lot he watches his opportunity and springs upon his victim
in a manner almost identical with the lion ; that is to say, he neaily
always seizes the unfortunate bullock at the apex of the neck and bites
through or disjoints the vertebrae, bearing the animal to the earth
and speedily dispatching it.
Should the grizzly catch a cow or ox in the open he drags it away
a short divstance, and then, if not disturbed, begins his meal, never
attempting to bury it as he does the body of the deer. He seems to
reason that his depredation must soon become known, and to appear be-
fore the carcass a second time would be like inviting the farmer to at-
tack him ; hence, as soon as his f^ast is made he scampers off, not
to appear in the same vicinity again. If he kills his prey in a barn-
yard he never attempts to eat it, for, knowing that he cannot drug
the body out of the jnclosure, he makes off with every evidence of
great fear and without attempting to satisfy his hunger.
BATTLES BETWEEN GRIZZLIES AND BUFFALOES.
In the early days of California, when the amusements of the miners
were generally of the most exciting character, it was a common thing
to introduce a grizzly and a buffalo into a strong enclosure, about
which an amphitheatre was erected for spectators, and goad the ani-
mals into a terrific combat, which invariablv meant death to one or
the other. It may appear, at first consideration, that a buffalo would
have little chance for his life penned up with a strong grizzly bear,
lently as must
1 weather aiul
ed hauntH, uiid
8 depredations
ing fellow, and
' certainly lead
upon the cow-
s only the \\\^-
oise to awakoii
d slow motion,
nost cure, com-
y liable to givo
es off !i strong
As they nisli
pon his victim
say, he iieaily
i neck and bites
1 to the earth
drags it away
[is meal, never
He seems to
id to appear be-
e farmer to at-
mpers off, not
)rey in a bain-
le cannot drag
ry evidence of
3 of the miners
common thing
iclosure, about
3 goad the ani-
leath to one or
I buffalo would
g grizzly bear.
THE WORLD ASHORE. ^jg
but it is a fact that the former morn f,. ,^
of ,ou„g .„ffa,.. „.., ,.„„ . o.e„i„;Hir:i5s:rr,L'r
FIGHT BETWEEN A GRKZLY BEAR AND BUFFALO
'ore a herd o^f >>nn.i:7CZnslZ^;^7'''''T f " '"'''' "'-
wws and calves at once -atW th ? •^'™ "'" "'""■"'' ^'"'■' '^e
th. h„n. ..u. ... ""^e gather themselves into a comuact mn.= „h,-i.
make an immediut« «ff O.I. ».„.„,." ^^emy. The grizzly does not
herd trying to
.! * -
immediate attack, but slowly circles about the
714
ftlA AND LAND.
find a weak place to break through the line, which he sometimes suo-
ceeds in doing, for if he once seizes upon a calf the herd immediately
stampedes, and flies swiftly over the plains in a mud offoit to escujje
further harm. Ho is more frequently met, however, by some power-
ful and courageous bull that rushes upon him with the force of a
catapult and ingloriously rolls him over the ground with broken ribs
or other bone^ The attack is then foUowod up, often aided by
other bulls, until the marauder is killed. While the contest is goirxr
on the cows gaze, like meek-eyed spectators, and betray far less con"
cern than they evidently feel.
THE FEROOITY OF A CAPTIVE GRIZZLY.
Of all animals I believe tha grizzly bear alone resists all efforts
at domestication. Lions, tigers and even hyeiuis have been raised to
such familiarity with man that they would follow their masters like
dogs and never manifest any treachery. The grizzly, however,
always remains the sullen and ferocious beast that we find him when
in his natural home. I once saw a baby grizzly, perhaps two months
old, that would suck a person's finger and play on the carpet like a
little kitten. This same bear, six years afterwards (though in the
meantime it had been constantly in the care of a kind master) killed
H man, who chanced to come near it, by a powerful stroke of its great
paw, and that, too, without the least provocation.
In the year 1878, while on a visit to California, T noticed an
uncommonly large grizzly that was kept confined in a cage at the rail-
road depot in Lathrop, where the Central Pacific trains stopped for
passengers to take their meals. Two years afterwards, when on an-
other similar trip, I saw the same bear and noticed children feeding
it with peanuts, cakes and pop-corn. There was no railing about the
cage, so that anyone might venture as close to the animal as desired.
I remarked at the time, that a serious accident would one day occur,
to prove that the bear was still extremely dangerous though evidently
long in captivity. It was only a few months after this visit that I
learned, through the press, that this bear had seized a little girl and
torn her arm off at the shoulder, so badly mutilating her that death
speedily resulted.
THH WORLD ASHORE.
715
CHAPTER XXXV.
TH^LL''''''^ °^ MANKIND.
^ THE WONDERFUL PIQMIE8 OF
kAvING described snmo «* 4.1
inf., which are peculiarly ir/*^,! ".','' T"'" ""' •"■•'■™"<'-
As Africa ia the «,..• he eT .1 ?° ''T '" "^'"'"'" "'""•
«o i, it the chose- groun'T ' ;.! """"'"'"' '""'» '''"P-'.
por,ionof,hee„rh''.rrL !.,:•:■;;"""" '""t"" """' ""-^ ""'«■'
donic f„,.>„a of .i?e ■„ the f ,™ If, T" '° """' "'"' "■» ""«'"-
iio"- Io.,M since l„„icd in ex i fcH;,, ^ ,'" ?""" ""'»""' ""^y "«
stition. But, althoulh the In h' V"" ""'^ '" '^S™'' "■• ^"Per-
congeners still oontiu e : rA^ZZT^'' r'? """""'"^"'
that roam the forest, in miuilrraUl'lifn TZ '""" ■"""""'"•»
Homeric story, and batlUnlf l / ■ ^''"""' '^'■''™'' «>• '» the
wildcrueas. S,:: cal '"„! ZZT^' t'l'""' '" '"^ "'""«'"«<'
name soraething -nomisb » « I- ""'^ '"'""*'' ""'™ '» '" H>e
tnrrow up our^th u"" ' Lt^v "' f ,^"" °'- "-"-Pi.-'t to
ties, but I distinct r;.e :; rac^ ,'^1:^": o H^' "'" , "''™"'-
«us than their di,ni„utrve statur . I, flct^ „"| l*;" "" '''"■■"'-
lar creatures to be me, with in Africa these ttLh™"'"^"-
^- they reg„id^r:ttu -r ;':~r ^''- '- "■"'-'
WhilA <?nK • * ^f^'°=NCE8 OF PIQMY RACES.
wnile bchwemfurthwus traveliniriin <ho\r;i
dark interinr nf fh« , ' , ®"°g "P ^^^e ^'le on his way to the
h" 1'!^!.?': ^,! ^^'^ ""explored continent, he was aston.shpH fn vll
the;;;::: h:;;!"^^ ^'y'^'"--^ ^^-^^^ with
the traditions of 1 i "'^' ^^'" *"'^ ^^^ t^^^"'' or was it
tiad.tions of a long past age that prompted such reflections?
716
SEA AND LAITD.
When ho asked these ignorant Arabs from whence they had leanicd
of the pigmies, his astonishment was greatly increased to hear seveial
of them declare that they had seen dwarfs, and ere their return
would prove that little people with long beards were frequently to lie
met with in African woods. On this interesting subject SchweinfuHli
writes:
*' It was a fascinating thing to hear them confidently relate that in
the land t«) the south of the Niam-nium country there dwelt people
who npver grew to be more than thiee feet in height, and who wore
beards so long that they reache<l to the knees. It was affiimcd of
them that, armed w^th strong lances, they would creep underncMih
the belly of an elephant and dextrously kill the beast, managing tlnir
own movements so adroitly that they could not bo reached by the
creature's trunk. Their services in tins way were asserted to contri-
bute largely to the resources of the ivory traders.
*♦ I listened on. The more, however, that I pondered silently over
the stories that they involuntarily disclosed — ilie more I studied the
traditions to which they referred — so much the nM»re was I perplexed
to explain what must be either the creative faculty or the derived im-
pressions of the Nubians. Whence came it that they could have
gained any knowledge at all of what Homer had sung? How did it
happen that they were fauiiliar at all with the material which Ovid
and Juvenal, and Nonnus and Statins worked into their verse, ••■iviinr
victoiy at one time to the cranes, and at another to the pigmies tiieiii-
selves.
♦'My own ideas of pigmies were gathered, originally, only f mm
books, but the time seemed now to have come when their existeiiee
should bo demonstrated in actual life. Legends of pijrmies iiad
mingled themselves already with the earliest surviving litenitme
of the Greeks, and the Iliad, it will be remembered, mentions
them as a race that had long been known. But not the classic ji>o(Y.«
alone; sober historians and precise geographers have either adopted
the poetic substance {>f the tradition or have endeavored, by every
kind of conjecture, to confirm its accuracy. Nothing, for instance,
can be moi-e de6nitethan the statement of Herodotus about the A^^w-
monians af^er they had crossed the Libyan deserts : ' They, at len<rtli,
saw some trees growing on a plain, and having approached they bojran
to gather the fruit that grew on the trees ; and while they were gath-
ering it some diminutive men, less than men of middle stature, came
THE WORLD A8HORE.
717
verso, jriviii^'
up and seized them and cuiried them away ' T),» .. .•
."Me i,, yet more precipe, when he »avrp|..ir T,""™^ "' '^™-
tl,e lakes above Egypt, from whieh fl,^;^!^ Kile r'Tn^ '"
l..gmies, and this is no fable but the pure r„ h t . ''""" "**
t.>ld, do men and horses of dimiuutivrr |i :«:■""" "■" ""
Puuer attempts to prove thjit th« .f 1
pigmies is no more thalTE.ymia alle^ir «'"-«, '«""i"g "ith
battling with the falli„„ ,vater/if ' N f ^ •■'■■P'esentiugihe er,„,e.,
these birds eougregate T„ ;tt^tt^'«C'C-s:^^^^^^^
direction are not unliko nh,A.^ . ^"nauei » efforts m this
Troy and the birth-^lee „?Hlr ' """'"""'™ """■'"" '» '"-"'
Three or four centuries before thor}„.i.f .. ^
tainly knew of a raee of people nab i,;" aiTriH" '"" T'""' "'j
source of the Nile which wee remark P. f.V °«'"^ "'» ™P"ted
The indefiniteness of this lotrthmr » • ^"'' ''"'""' S™""-.
a. we might, at «rst, be incZ J t: Xuu "' "'h ^'T'^
while the source of the Nile is, or was n^Tl J 'I ^•'''''''■°'^ ''"'''
l.roblem unsolved, there is the ve y 1 est „ IL t'^T"'''' »
some thousand or more years ZJ If J Tf'.T *" ''""' "'»'
perfectly known. We mav f i ""'"' "^^"''^ ""^ "'"'"^t
Homer a'od Arist;tie,?hen ty w ^e rf' r"""'''^ '""""«"' """
^ubiect with Whieh they were ^C:^:i K^hryXl.t^ "' "
,, POSITIVE PROOF OF A PlQMv raop
lie had supposed thai- thjl « Kamrasi, but until now
u supposed that this specimen was no other than a freak ..f
wh,.e one or more of these peculiar creatures w'as M tt tie hlTh '
I il
iif '. n
tt*fl!!"'Si'3l
lir
718
SEA AND LAND.
Village, which they were accustomed to visit for purposes of baiter
Schweuifurth was intensely delighted to learn that he was i.i the
dwarf country and forthwith applied to Munza, the Kino-, for 1,:,
assistance in obtaining an interview with the pigmies, for though
Schweinfurth s servants had already seen several, they were so fric.^!
ened at the sight of a white man that they made off in great alann
Munza promised his aid and sent some of his men to brine in one of
the dwarfs, but before they returned Mohammed, who was one of
Schweinfurth s party, chanced to observe one when on his way to the
King and by swiftly running captured him. A great shout was imnie
d.ately raised in the village, which brought Schweinfurth from his tent
in time to see Mohammed approaching with the wonderful dwuf
seated on his right shoulder, nervously hugging his neck and betray-
ing signs of intense fear. ^
SCHWEINFURTH'S INTERVIEW WITH A PIOMY
The quaint specimen of miniature manhood was taken to Schwcin
furth s tent.and there deposited on a chair, while an interpreter wa.'
sent for who soon appeared. At first the little fellow was so dread-
fully frightened that he could not be induced to talk, but gradually
his confidence returned, under the influence of innumerable c^if/
until he at length suffered himself to be measured, sketched? and
plied with a great number of questions. The dwarf's replies to the
inquines addressed to him elicited the following interesting facts-
His name was Adimokoo, and the name of the nation to which he
belonged was Akka. The meaning of these words Schweinfurth
negectedtoolUain This nation of pigmies occupied a large d^-
tnct south of Monbutto, and was composed of nine tribes, ruled by
as many kings - most probably chiefs. Several families of the J.
mies had settled in the vicinity of Monbutto, since a was (he desire
of the king, and he had given them many inducements to remain
near him.
The princi.> ,1 portion of the Akka people resided in a district the
borders of winch were only two days' journey from Monbutto, and
the dwarf assured his questioner that the Akkas were extremely
numemu^. Before departing, by the offer of many additional pres-
ents, Adimokoo was induced to go through the evolutions of his war-
dances, in which, being dressed in a rokko-coat, plumed hat. and
armed with t,.,w a.ui ^rrow and lance, he created no little amusement.
The height of this dwarf was four feet and ten inches, and he was,
.liiiSIII^
THE WORLD ASHORE.
719
as he declared, an average size of his race It ;. • ,
p.gmy knew nothing whatever of anv r«n! • , °""'^' ^^^^ *his
daily v'hen there is the best of ev donee in ^^ '° ^" "^^"' -op-
tion thatu numerous nation of p," nies 1 v /'h "' '^""'"^'^'^ "■'^-'-
nordid he know of the exi^l'^of L k^ " T"'' n ^''^^^'^
mentioned by Kolie. It ,v,s evident h ) I "'" ^'^''''^ ^^ibes
teliigentasanyof his P^o.l.::^^ Xt^:^''' ^^ ^ ^"-
people given to traveling, so that tiaveied, nor were his
their knowledge was restricted to
their imniediate locality.
THE DANCING DWARF.
Speaking of Adimokoo'aacrjlitv
Schweinfurth writes; •'Alth!)ucrh'
I had been repeatedly astonished^at
witnessing the war-dances of the
Nmm-niam,Iconfessthatmyaniaze.
nient was greater than ever when
I looked upon the exhibition which
the pigmy afforded. In spite of
r ;«'-g«. bloated belly and short,
bandy legs -in spite of his ac^e
^h,ch, by the way, was consideral
ble--Adimokoo's agility was per-
fectly marvelous, ami 1 could not
help wondering whether cranes
would ever be likely to contend with
Buch creatures. The little man's
leaps and attitudes were accom-
paniedbysuch lively ,tnd grotesque
varieties of expression that the spec
tutors shook again and held their
sides with laughter. The interpre-
th Tf IT'""^ ^"^ *^' Niam-niam that
drive^their lances into^heir belli" "'"" "'" "' ^^^'^^'^^^'^^'^ ^^^ »"^
^y^^^r'Z^'lf^I^^^ ^ ^^'^«-- «^^ visit from two of
came to ^e every da v It '! ^''' T' l^""' ^^^^"'^ -"- "^ the Akka
ery day. As exceptional cases, I observed that some
■' "t'
ADIMOKOO, THE AKKA PIGMY.
' ■iJ'l.'l
tit
720
SEA AND LAND.
.nd.v.dual8 were of a taller .stature; but. upon investigation, 1 alw-ns
ascertained chat tl.is was the result of intermarriage^vith he A ,
butto amongst whom they resided. I regret that I never chance
see any of the Akka women, and still more that my visit to .
itralL^Zr^^""^' ''-'"^ '^^^^ '"'-'''''' opportunity .a,;
Schweinfurth indt.ced an Akka hoy to accompany him on his
ti-avels, not, however without the most extravagL/inducen.cn
Th,s boy remained w.th him ten months, and the explorer hope<l ,o
bnng h.m to Europe, but the little fellow was taken with dysLtc
and died, despite every exertion to save him. ^
CONFIRMATORY EVIDENCES OF PIGMIES
Not only has Schweinfurth given considerable attention to the
dwarfs of Africa, in which he is an enthusiastic believer, but noa
every traveler through that dark region of the earth has given n^ ^
Chaillu s works will remember his descriptions of a wandering fib
of hunters called Ol>ongo, whose height rarely exceeded four fe
seven inches, and ,n several respects. Schweinfurth affirms, the Obon,
greatly resembled the Akka. Battel, who traveled through Ash f
land subsequei^ to Du Chaillu, reports having met considerabl
parties of the Obongo race and confirms ail that the great . wt
hunter has said of them. The Portuguese, who trade inlhat ;.:; !
the world, have aKso given considerable confirmatory evidence of the
dwarf people, whom they call BakJca-baUa, which is a desi^mation
for the country rather than the race itself. Dapper, howeve.-, .ives
us a very entertaining account of a race called the Yogas, who, he
declares, m olden times spread fear and destruction as fai' as
the town of Loango, a hundred miles away. This coast town was a
Portuguese trading and outfitting post, from whence large caravans
were despatched into the interior to bring back ivory c^.llected bj
tiading with the natives. These caravans suffered dreadfully f J
the attacks of the Yogas, whose malicious propensities were never
gratified and whose fierce and murderous aggressions were only
arrested by vigorous onslaughts of large parties of well-armed Poi'
tuguese who were employed at length to guaH -'a caravans. The
Yogos were a diminutive race, hardly so large as tl . Akka of whorr;
Schweinfurth writes, but the Bakka-bakka, wl ir^ were a nei-hb
race, and who sometimes affiliated with the Yogos, were much smalb
^THE WORLD ASHOBE.
than the latter and aU u
Dapper, -.arc st'ated b/tlo" rtf^r'^^"^?" '""« men." ,,y,
Bakke-bakke. but sometime. Mi,C Th '' "'" ^"""•'"'y """ed
».ze ho neglecta to give, carted o t ho 17 """" """"""''• "'"'^e
of the kingdom." "" S""""' P»rt of the ivory trade
Escayrso du Lauture in • n o t- i
Geographical Society „f Pati. tiZt^.' ■' ',° '"^ '''■"^"■» "^ *he
d.scovory „f a race called W-ZLA '''',;'' '«'«' "-..ounced his
wore of singularly stunted stafu-^^Th iw''""^, T" ""'' '»"^) who
tails no doubt arose from a oust;,™ "' "'''"' ''"■"■f" h-vin..
"f wearing a„ o.-tai, suspen l^a rnrelr; """""'" '"» "^"S" "*«
w.^t leaving the brush end pend.„" "■" " Si'-'"e "-und the
ne». th t there is°„ trile t MrrJr.rLt' '"^ '* ^™' ---'"
W, who are only two or thr^^f 7 , * "'er called the Sen-
"^cl .hat Kolle, n'ot^ithsTa Xt '^S' V' ""'^ """-'''
have seen any specimens of these nenlohr'. ''"'"' '"" "'»™ ««
tetnnony of those who assured h;. >\u """" "="""'»' ^"1" tie
traded with them. ^"" """ ""ey had often seen and
Another witness, • . whom R-„ii , ,
li... of a race livi,^g ,o„°tbffh '' Tf ""P""" """S^^ee, told
wbose height varied°from tlreo to Zf ^' " "'"' -"»" -S^'™". '
tmiled upon the ground. Notwith! I ' "'"' "■""" ''""•"'«' beard
these dwarfs, K^llo's i ,fon„a" d'r "^ ' """"'^ encumbrance,
"rely by the products of l" hase T ir""'"""-''' "''"'-I™ »-
that the Niam-niams, of Ea t AfHc , '" «"'»»"''" let me say,
'tr:rot"^"^'-"-^^^^^^^^^^^^^ '" '" -'' "^
"l"«stat„,^doesnot X ee?tMof : '";" "' " "•''•■« "' '■"-f'
years of ago. Consider! ,rtd! f " " .'""'^ ^"""P""" ''-'>■ 'en
P-M'lo and the Mohammed nsl'som T^'f "" '"'"^'='=" ">« ^oko
^«W, .-. ,.. people wo e H°r ' """* ^'"'"' "' '"»'« «« "'e
I
■^^
■I 'III
722
8EA AND LAND.
Stanley has not idiled to add his testimony to that of a hundred
o:Iie;' explorers conlirmatory of the existence of races of pigmies in
A i ica. The numerous evidences thus supplied lead to a general con-
clusion that the fact is well established; but it is sin,7ular no speci-
mens of these curious people have ever been brought tc Europe or
America, and beyond the attempt made by Schwaii/.jurth, I hav<; heard
of no effort, upon I he part of any one, to i-arry a specimen oi the
pigmies out ot Africi to any country, tlroughtjifj oxportaiion of Javes
for centuries has scarcely been interrupted. I incline to the opinion
that an African pigmy would pi ove as great a curiosity as any wild
animal, so that here is an opporiuniiy for some enterprising showman.
DU OHAILLU'8 HUNT FOR DWARFS.
It is with some hesitatii u that 1 cull, in support of the proof that
there are nicest of pigmies in Africa, tho well-koowa travoicr, Du
Chaj'h; .since readers of his works cannot f;!il to note the somewhat
singula: fsct that, in/ triably, whenever this explorer went in search
of a curi>ni« or .tpocryphal thing he not only found it, but met with
some advt-rihire which enabled him to write something extremely in-
teresting about the discovery. Thus, he not only met with the
gorilla, the ipi ant-eater, the Fan cannibals, but also the pigmies,
though a hundred other observing travelers who carefully explored
tiie same countries could discover no traces of these curiosii.ies. But
I cannot, nor am I disposed to, throw discredit on Du Chaillu's dis-
coveries, for Africa is full of surprises, and I know that experienced
miners sometimes overlook large beds of precious ore which are
afterwards opened by the "tender-footed pilgrim," and Du Chaillu
may be the lucky prospector. At any rate, his account of the
Obongo pigmies, which he claims to have visited, is so interesting
that it is eminently entitled to be added to the other proofs already
submitted. In truth, of all Du Chaillu's writings, I do not believe
that any are so interesting as his descriptions of the dwarfs, and for
this excellent reason I will include the material parts of his novel
experiences :
Du Chaillu sailed from London in 1863, for the expres purpose of
visiting the <!ountry of the dwarfs: he took, in a vessel chartered for
the purpose, a large supply of goods, gew-g ' » of every description,
guns, ammunition, medicines, scientific ins' ents, etc., and landed
near Cape L z without incident. 7'^ i?r idiately sent off presenU
to the Comi )eople, with whom h^ . i. ly had considerable ao
and Du Chaillu
d considerable ao
™e wobld ASHOEE.
qasintance, and procuring g„id,, .„ , "'
-rch „, the little people tt^tl,™!, " aT' ''"'" *'"' ''"-"^'ness in
(hat beset h,s p»,h, „|, „|„,„„,^, 2" ''"">"' f""" "'"ivo tribe^
«s rewarded most bounteousu/L ,,?"'" ""'''''•" l'"-»<-'ver„,„o
Aseovery, „„d wo.,derf„, adveniuVe "^ ,:';t.;.'" .'""■"™'-« " "^
..P . .u"" """"■■■"■' oisoovrRr J '""""<"•"» follows ;
«» great forest, passing many ,' "?"" "" """Journey through
• «"■""»'». "nd I stopped anS as Id 7c'',"f "'■'""''""*'- »«'lte«,
use these shelters were built H ^""""'" ("<•> !:^'i<l.) for ,v ,",
'••^et:.'Lpred''ii!::t;;r:;T'''"'-"-«--Hi™
oa« talk a.,d the, build w' "'' '-""' '^1.0 live i„ s„eh a shelter
'*KombiJa,' I replied 'whv^
pi" Hve in sueh s.nai'l plls '^r ,Z"litM " '"" " ^"""^ ? Howean pe„-
idoU. Look ! > said I . „, ,„ , ''""*«*' ''"o been built t.
-■^^groundto'etttoX^r" ^"'™- ^^ ■« 'i-iM'':::
2— "o plantaia trees It;;/!:"'^- "- ">» dwarfs now?
pots, no water jugs.' """" ' """« "■•« uo liros, „o e„okin<.
" ' Oh,> said Ko,„bi|a, • these 01,n„
«ever s,a^ |„„g ,„ „,^ ^^ne L!^""'!"! "'" f'-"So people. They
*;uk« theirhands,orwi,'h';;;:geSr°' "'■ ^""-''■- ^''-^
-lien, J answered « dn «
"-■""ntry of the dwarfs? > ' ^ " "'"•' '" «»y that we are in the
"•yes,- said Kombila, .we are !„ .,
Jbeyare scattered in the fortt T "''T'"'^ '" ""o dwarfs.
yn see before y„„. are f,„. „ '.« T, '"' "" ''""S^"' '''« 'he on^
«n<l roam in the forest fronu Jto "^ "'" "" '""" "^ ""^ ""lelope
0 the aeids. They feed „ s^e " ::• ^'^ "'•« ""^ '"e beasts'
and bernes of the forest.' '^ ' "'' "'"' '""••''' "'"1 on the nuts
-^ -^-frnt'rV: .t t- ~ •- -e le„gth Of
"■Keep the head of a man fronrtoL^w:?,', ' ^"'^"^ "* '"'' """"gh
724
SEA AND LAND.
.1 r
form of a bow, the ends put into the ground, and the middle branches
being highest. The whape of each liouse was very much like that of
an orange cut in two. The framework was covered with hirge leave,
and there were little doors which did not seem to be more than'eightoc „'
inches high, and about twelve or fifteen inches broad. Even the
dwarfs must have bun almost flat on the ground in order to pass
through. When I say door, I mean simply an opening, a hole to <n,
through. It was only a tiny doorway, but I managed to get in.side
one of these strange little houses, and found there two beds, which
were as curious as everything -else about the premises. Three or i'„ur
AN OBONGO DWARF VILLAGE.
Sticks on each side of the hut were the beds. Each bed was about
eight inches, or, at the most, ten inches in width. One was for the
wife, the other for the husband. A little piece of wood on each bed
made the pillows. Between the two beds were the remains of a fire,
judging by the ashes and pieces of burnt wood."
Being unable to see any of the dwarfs, who had evidently aban-
doned their village on his approach, Du Chaillu continued on to an
Ishogo village, several leagues farther in llic interior. Here he met
the king, who received him cordially. To his inquiries concerning tbe
THE WORLD ASIroilE.
<I>v»rf« l.e was told that th.v i,,l,.,,,:, , .
that o„o „f their villages wa,, o„ t ' ,'!, ''j''^'"'H di,„riot, „„J
"«»• •' But,- .said the KiaJ .. if ;:,'/'•"'" '"■» P^<-"t 'odg.
-I'Hew who knows ,he dwaVf ,o ™ IT'"' ""'' ' »'•" K've yo,T,„;
lop^s and gazelle,, ; they arc shy and o' n ""', '!''""'^' "■' '""^ «""-
you ,nu8t tako then, hy „„.,,„,« „> f'-'J-'litoned. To sec thcra
»lmll .ce then, . • ■ ■" " ''"'"• " J'O" »>•» ea,cf ul to-morrow you
On tl,o folhiwing dav Dnni. .•„
<iwa.-f village, and in aVcw |,„u; 1' ■"" ""' '"'"' '<"•>•"«„ for ,h„
.«>ve .„,„„ I,,.,,, ,„„, ,;.""- ;.- wuhin v,ew of „ eh.tcr '
elod, the little creature, hai discovere ' H r. "'"■ "''''••'' 'h''^ trav-
n.ade off hefo,. any of them wCseen' "',,,":'""'"'■"■'» "PP'-oaeh and
'"."»'• '"" with the hope of winnhl H •' 1" ™"' " '"''<' disappoint.
Hi3 anxiety to see the ,,i!„'""°™ """ ^« '»'«"8-
-xt .orning^n sea,.: MTLrr ''" ^""""' '" ''-' ^- ' " «■«
continued to walk vcy ca.efuHv 7 ™'"'»"i»'- He says : .. w.
".ker settlement of L dt,!js' 1;""' '''•''"" "^ «-"» "^ »-
part of the forest. I see the h ,'t:" ' <!!' Tl'" '" ">» *-st
»l..ch he dwarfs d,-ew their watr Jo drin " '""<> ''^oa-n f,.„,„
« -.alk t„wa,.ds the habitation our bod ''""'«"■•'''"'« are as
order not to be easily discovered ™' ''"''"^^ .>«"" a'-ost double, in
■'".nuchtosecthe dwarfs t„ ',«.'„ ,T! """""'-"l'. I would give
va"ceM.ow cautious we .'..l^r , "„' ■!"■ ' H'"' -...y we' d!
MyAshaugo guides held bunches of be fd?'"^ "'"•'•• =""""«^ '
l>""g on the trees have bee, t ken . ''" """ ""> ''^"''s we
™i". The dwarfs saw us a,!d , '^^ '^" O"'- ""'i™ was in
fc»' it was too late ; t ey had Vo "'1 'r" ""^ """«'■ ^^ "id
"eat I thought I saw thrJc creltu.est "T """" ''"'" ""= ^»W«-
«wling M,.-,ugh s,nall dooTs ^to , f '"" "', "" ">« g"""<l. and
«'7mi^'>' >f the viiiagel s^o^t 'd I tT" ^^■'"=-- wee in the
"^wer. The Ashangos shouted it'tb """"/"^''"'ly he,e?> No
«---othe\sha„r^/rrrt^\--^^^
I '
726
BEA AND LAND.
._'*1^!.
the dwarfs go into their huts.' Then I shouted ngain, but still no
answer WHS returned. Turning towards nie, my guides said, ' Oguizi,
your eyes have deceived you; there is no one here, they have thci.
They are afraid '>f 'Oil.' ' 1 am not niistalien,' I answered. I went
towards one * . , .". .vhere I tlxmglit 1 had seen one of the dwarfs
go inside to hide, .iia!, as I came to tlie little door, I shouted again,
but there was no answer. It did seem queer to me that I shoul 1 have
suffered ;in optical delusion. I was jjerfectly sure that I had seen the
dwarfs M. t inside of their huts. ' Perhaps they have broken throuirh
the back part, and have os" ' 'aid I; so I walked round their
little houses, but everything was right — nothing had gone outside
through the walls.
CATCHINQ A DWARF WOMAN.
•' In order to make sure, I came again to the door, and shouted,
'Nobody here?' The ^ame silence. I now lay flat on the ground,
and again shouted, ' Nobody here?' It was so dark inside that, com-
i ig from the light, I could not see, so I stretched my arm in order to
feel if there was anyone within. Sweeping my arm from left to
right, at first, I touched an empty bed, composed of three sticks;
then, feeling carefully, T moved my arm gradually towards the ri<:^^
when — hello ! what do I feel? A leg ! wliich I immediately grabln
above the ankle, and a piercing shriek startled me. It was the Ie<
of a human being, and that human being a dwarf ! I had g'»t hold of
a dwarf !
"'Don't be afraid, the spirit will (In you no harm,' said my
Ashango guide.
*' ' Don't be afraid,' I sa' 1, in the Ashango language, and I im-
mediately pu -d th creati • I had seized by the leg through the
door, in the midst of great excitement among my Couimi men.
••'A dwarf !'T shouted, as the little creature came out. 'A
woman !' I shouteo again — * .i r)igmy !' The little creature shrieked,
looking at me. ' Nchende ! ncliende I' said sh. . ' Oh ! oh ! oh ! Yo!
yo ! yo !' and her piercing waii . ont tin air.
♦' What a sight ! I ha(' ver een the like. * Wiiat !' said I, » now
I do see the dwarfs of |u: rial Afiica — the dwarfs of Homer,
Herodotus — the dwarfs .» the uncients.
•'How queer the little old woman looked: How frightened she
was ! Dhe trembled all over. She was neither whue nor black; she
was of a yellow, or a mulatto color. * What a little head ! What
1 liurni,' Siiid my
iguajro, and I iin-
" B WORLD ASHORE.
little body ! What a little hnnd and foof vt . •
queer looking hair I' said I, bewildero 1 Th Z"^' ' O^, what
in little tufts apart from each othe, •. ,d tl f "' '^'"'' "" ^^' ''^"^^
baked apple. I ennn<.t t.-ll you ho.: d ! ^.^^i; "^^^Z tl'^ '"' "^ ^'
THE CAPTURE OF TWO ^ " '''^'' ^ '^'''^ "^^ ^ho d.scovery.
"So, giving my little prize to one " tirui "°""
my Commi men to catch her should shn/. ^^'^''""^'"S ""^1 ordering
other little dwelling wher 1 1 icH^'t I 7 " '"" ""•^' ' ^^^'"^ '" ^h^
hide. The two hut.%tood ^^l^^'^'T ^TV' '''' '''^'''^
No answer. Then I did whnf T i . ''^""^«^' ' Nobody here?'
« i..iue t.„ hut tirg:';,:: ^r^ „t;:, r::;, ";t ^t t-- -^
No answer. I moved my rMrht hand t„ .I""""'- '^"'"■dy l.ere?>
'vl.cn, 1-, • I seized a leg a, d" ilmedl , ■; " '.'""''' '"■' ""^''ody.
a....ther stingo >i..,e ■^IZiZT!'''''; l '"f " ' -'"^
not quite so old as the lii-st hot l,.,v' . ™' "''" " ""X""".
Tl.e two dwarf women Io,;ked':"°l ''',7 ■'*''" '""'^ "Ppearanee
»ing n,o„rnful songs, a^ if h^ e^pe ed t" b?;;,'" d "?""■ !° "'^ ""''
'Be not frightened.' ''?'«'«" ^ ''« W.ed. I said I „ them,
ou;;trittf:tz\trrtt:r:,?Tf t ff ■■" "> -=
wlien I saw a little head peep 010,^ ^^ ""'^ '^'"'"^ 'P»''«°.
.l.e creature come out. ? wa won „ 7'' "", 7 ^''""''"^ "'»""
the trio shrieked and cried wiZn,,"' ,"'"' ''"*■"'" "-^'"S- "'"^
'i-.. They th,.„g,a th:;ri;s:':;';:td eie ''''.'d:";' V''"^, "''"
- the Ashango, • the Ogui.i i, a good o! •- • ^Z'tt " "m'.'
anu ...y rommi men. After a whife thev sIL 1 '""'•
to look at me more quietly. ^ '^^ ' "'^'"S ""<• •"'g^"'
-l™*.' TLytd ";:omiZt"ct l\'°'" ""^•'"'"^ ■'* "-» ""'«
;»ces hei,^ eLetiy s:::z':o^:^t:z::;:j'-^ y^'^^^ «j
that struck „fe «r„„ e. the:" ud We?r ',"" """"""'"' "''''"-'
thoir foreheads wereTow . '*"' "'"' """'"' '""' ""= "oe^e" i
'"". w„sttk::^:h7r:ddi,rr; "" ''"- '-"'■•• "^'^'" ^- '■>
■ -^ "ean, a rustlinij in o
hous
's, so I went th- "-
:u lOi
t-mestehidren. Thej v ere exceedingly 2. V
they h,d the.r heads, just as young dog^ or kftten!
ne of the I, (tie
>iinjg inside saw it filled with the
When they saw me
would do, and got
K
'I '"' '<
i
/
'm
ii
m
w^
p«
Mr
^.im
788
SEA AND LAND.
Into a huddle and kept still. Those were the little dwarf childn n
who had remained in the village under the care of the women, wliil,-
the other dwarfs had gone into the forest to collect their eveniiif.
meal — that is to say, nuts, berries and fruits — and to see if the traps
they had set had killed any game.
♦♦I put beads around the necks of the women, gave them a le^r (,f
wild boar and some plantains, and told them to tell their people to
remain and not t be afiaid. I gave some motit to the little children
which they seized and ran away with.
•♦ I waited in vain — the other inhabitants did not come back. Tlnv
were afraid of me. I told the w*)men that the next day I shouki
return and bring them meat (for they are said to be very fond of it),
and plenty of bread."
THE DWARFS BECOME FRIENDLY WITH DU OHAILLU.
Several visits were paid by Du Chaillu to the dwarf village and
great quantities of beads and meat were left each time, befoTe the
pigmies would suffer themselves to be approached. The old woiimn
first captured by Du Chaillu, soon became friendly and it was thn)ui:li
her influence that the curious little people at length accepted the
traveler as a friend and were persuaded to sit with him in the villjure.
Du Chaillu was anxious to possess a skeleton of a pigmy to luiiiir
home with him as a specimen, and therefore asked his guides the
burying ground of the dwarfs. They replied that such a quest i(,ii
propounded to the pigmies would cause them to disappear at once,
for nothing could induce them to reveal their most sacred secret.
In order to encourage them to greater contider.ce Du Cliaillu
brought to the dwarf village two legs of goats, a leg of wild boar,
ten house rats, a large dead snake and two land turtles, which he had
cooked and served up in a grand feast, to which fifty-nine of the cu-
rious little creatures were invited.
A WONDERFUL ASSEMBLY OF PIGMIES.
Continuing his narrative of the dwarfs, and particulars of the
feast, Du Chaillu writes:
*« « Obongos,' said I, • we have come to have a good time. Fii>t,
I am going to give every one of you beads.' Then the Asliangos
brought before them a basket containing the beads, and I asked
who was the chief. I could not find him, and they would not
tftll inPl- Thft d""lr-fo TITOVp »»r»«r anniw •I'.-k.. 1vn..J» n— J , ..-J-J
- ^ "^ "'■'■' • <?jj^ 1 i-w-L t/cauD, niiu ssuiitiUiiucu
me, and though I am a man of short stature, I seemed a giant ni the
lo dwarf chilclr. n
tlio wonu'i), will It!
ect their evonincr
to see if the tni[)s
ive them n leg df
I their people to
the little childicn
come back. Tin v
!xt day I shouKj
very fond of it),
AILLU.
warf village and
time, before the
The old woman
d it was throiidi
^th accepted tlie
m in the villai'e.
pigmy to bring
1 his guides the
such a question
sappear at once,
icred secret.
i:ce Du Chailhi
5 of wild boar,
;s, which he had
^-nine of the cu-
ticulars of the
d time. Fiifit,
1 the Ashangos
5, and I asked
hey would not
liu sUiroUnuCu
1 a giant in the
-■• /I
SEA AND LAND.
midst of them ; and as for Rebouka and Igalo (the guides), thevan-
peared to be colossal. ' Ya I ya I yo ! yo ! ye ! qui I quo 1 oh I ah •
n In ! ke ! k. ! ke ! ki ! ' seemed to be the oulv sounds they could
make ,n their excitement. Their appearance was singular indevcl
the larger number of them being of a dirty yellow color. A few of
them were not more than four feet in height. But if they were short
m size, they were stoutly built ; like chimpanzees, they had hi-
broad chests, and, though their legs were small, they were musculur
and strong. Their arms were also strong in proportion to their size
Ihere were gray-headed men, and gray-headed, wrinkled old women
among them, and very hideous the old dwarfs were. Their features
resembled very closely those of the chimpanzee. Some had crmy
others hazel eyes, while the eyes of a few were black. ° '
- As I have said before, their hair was not like that of the ne<rroes
among whom the dwarfs live, but grew in little short tufts apart
from each other, and the hair, after attaining a certain length, could
not grow longer. These little tufts looked like so many balls of
wool. Many of the men had their chests and legs covered with these
little tufts of wooly hair. The women's hair was no longer than that
of the nif.n, and it grew in the same manner.
♦' Aftei' I had given them beads, I took out a looking-glass, which
I had nidden, and put it in front of them. Immediately they
trembled with fright, and said, ' Spirit, don't kill us I' and turned
their heads away. Then the musical box was shown, and when I had
«et It playing the dwarfs lay down on the ground, frightened by the
music, and by turns looked at me and at the box. Some of them mii
away into V eir little huts. After this little by-play I ordered the
feast to begin.
' When they had finished eating, the Obongos seemed more soei-
able than I had ever seen them before. I seated myself on the dead
hmb of a tree and they came around me and asked me to talk to tiiem
as the spirits talk. One of them asked me if I lived in the moon, I
then another if I lived in a star, and another if I had been long in the
forest ; and did I make the fine things I gave them during the night."
A DANCE, AND THE PIGMIES THEN TELL THEIR STORY, I
After a somewhat lengthy conversation, in which their curiosity I
was partly relieved, at Du Chaillu's request, the dwarfs enter- |
tamed him with a dance, in which, tothe music of a drum, they leaped,
gesticulated, kicked backwards and forwards, and shook their heads
THE WORLD ASHORE.
from Side to side, making „o effort ft- ^^^
their fears gave plaee .olto.lh ,Lf Cf^ f"""" "'« !-'?"•-». Lul
le|.l.a„t, gorilla, leopard or „th3 ^ ■"■''"•''• ''" '••""I'l WH an
dc.,no,.trau.d b^ firing .g„i„ and b ,„;• f! f "'"' T"""'' »t"tcn„.„t he
"f " "«gl'l;oring t.ee. oiingiag down a bird out „f the lor,
The dwaifs, i„ response to D„ ru ii ,
'-ried long i„ „„e p|„,, ,,^^„ « » questions, said the^ „ever
h...sted ,n one locality, a„d they I ad t 1 , f ''""' ""'' """' "«-
for new supplies; that they built s'.'dr":,'" "'">■«•» .-'n".!-..-
'«"Py them long, and.thorefo e Z , '•"""•"*" ""=-" d'd no,
I"!;--- Fire, they explained, Tj/':^.:' rV", ''""" "■'"■ "'"•' '"
gether.and «.„si„g t^^ spa,*, t„™! ' ""■*'"•'■' '«■<> ""'*■' to-
grows on the palm tree. They ,Z,f " "''"''''"' "' ""''"-n that
"voen tribes ; in fact, eaeh tri f„ „ ,-^;T"'f, '"-"-I'-, "over be-
'""■•y of another, sineo a battle i cer ,, ' "" ' ,"'""-''' ""'"' ""> '»-
^ "0« THE P,o„,„ .„„ J""" «0 ■•-suit.
.DnChaillu had now learned ervnr'r'r' ""mr,r,o...
Pignnes, but bis anxiet, to obtain <^l". "' "'" ''"'""' of the
;'l;on the point of ,»ki„g the Tw'rfs ,"""""""«'"'«* he „a„
H,s Ashango guide begg^ed him nl" j'""? "'"' ''"'^ "'""■ "-"I.
■I'varfs would not „„,y ;ef„se tlteH I il ,": I". '"",'" " '"''"■''' "^ "-e
f >- booomehiseneniies. Pressed for, ■"" ♦'"'"l«'>' wo-M immodi-
'at the fear of the dwarfs rsaifrsr?'/''"^-'''''''^"^-''---!
en.tr be should fall i„,o th h ,X ff t "'"'" '" ""•""
"■,7 •'«''-«" " would be used Is a fo • , f n'T'' '" "'"'='■ -«»t
"-'""ge of the Obon..os nn„^f i '. '" '''" ""o "»ner where the
di-, the Ashango l-i^Tde?''''" " '"'""'■ ^hen an Obont
™ong the dwarS. andtn uL.T!:':'""'' """ '^ «-" --"' '
be f».-est to find a tali tree !vb ch asT. ';,'" ""' '"'" '^"'^ l""^"' '
'"d one, they come back to the sett 11 7 "' "'" '"P' " «"■>■
' '« with a hollow.'. The the , HI " .'"^' " "'" ''"" '"""^
e«, bearing the dead body "„ a li '""'"•"""'«■•'■"'""'» '"■-
'o"r,d the tree. Upon reTch^l ,"""■' P"^""'"' ''>■ 'he n>an who
fee, earrvin. „i,K lu ' ^ "" "P"'' '"» or more aseen^l ,be
■'■■y leaves. " ""^ "'""''»' »'"1 <="vered with earth and
S^
fi'
732
SEA AN1> LAND.
Sometimes a hollow tree, such as will snnnlv fk« ^ ^
bereadil, found, in ,vlncb 'ea.. t>>:^^,^:^!'li^SZ''':Z""'
of running water. This being found, however I eat the labor i,
gmde, a,Hl hough h>s attendants offered to capture one of the dwrf!
tha he ht T' r' "" '"'' "" 0'"'"S- -'"""" " -ng «owIe '
that he had, indeed, ever seen a dwarf. "viueiice
Just before this volume was sent to press, a remarkable verifi.
t.on of the truth of Du Chaillu's statemen s, wiT .tard 1 ,1,:
B^stLr """'"" '" "" '""""'«=" ««"■» O'^p""'" f-™ tho z;":
" Tl^ explorer, Ludwig Wolff, just returned from the Con..o re
ports havng met in the Sanltouron regi,,„ many tribes of dw'
r:,;" h^air^Th"' T' t t ''"'' •>-■■<''''-. »ndwVsh„:i
woory hair. They l,ve by hunting, and are wonderfully a<.ile ■, J
good-tempered. Many thousands of them are dispersed over ihi
v"e y s^iStrf 1;'""" """"■ "'" "»""' "' ^-«- tT:;
CHAPTEE XXXVI.
^BARBARIC NATIONS OF THE EARTH-CANNIBALS.
PiROM the higher quadmminous-four handed -animals, it i.
^1 but two steps to the lower species of human life ; the tirst
P, step leads to a chasm, which is unbridged, as already ex-
not so .rSiha? '" '"^. "' ^^^^^•^^'^"' ^^^^^^ -" --^'<^ ^^
and hon n^ ff . ^^''^^^^^^ evolutionists are still investigating
and. hopmg, if not believing, that future di^onv..;.. ..;„ ..J.. ^
complete chain counectiDg man with the lower'animaUr"'
THE WORLD ASHORE.
733
The question, - What race or tribe is fh. ^
human creation?- is, by „o „,ean8 aM ! ""'* ^" *^^ «««>« of
thut the troglodytes, o^^ ej^:^^''^;^- S-ne maintain
others as stoutly declare that the tJ ^^;''*'' ^^^ the lowest ;
the most despised position; but if Du CMu /"'"'""' °^^"P^
Afncan pigmies is a faithful and true on J ^^^^'^'Ption of the
"nenviaWe place, not alone because of th ""l '""'' "^^^'"^ ^^^«' ^he
tl-eir hal)its as well. The pT^Z"! "^^^^•"''•'ty in size but for
thing.; their houses are tho"^ udel r "''' ^° ^>- »>^-ts in n,any
abide long in any one place, they w; rTr^r''^'"^ '' ''^^^ "--
fleebefore every other race ; haveL f" r/;: 1^"' ^^ ^« ^^^^ = they
subsist upon bugs, snakes, li.ard., cenZd s^^nTr?'^ "^'' ^^^"^'
t'ons of scientific dispute do not n!v. , ^ . ^'"'*'- ^"^ ques-
uncivilized races have curious cutlTr^'^ 'l'"^' '" ^^"'^ ^^''^ «»
.he highly favored people of ou^o wnTe T "?""^^ ^'"''^ ^"^^-t to
of the rather wonderf'ul .u^Z^^'^^;^^ T''^' '^ ^-ting
om.t mention of some, at lea.t of ' """^l^^'^f ' ^ ««»"ot afford to
whose homes are made in the junHeof f;"^"'";' ^""^«» creatures
wilderness of perpetual snow Ist ^^'^'""^ ^'^'' ""'' ^^e weird
featment has been from a lowerlo a .^^r/'^^^^^^^P^-'^ the order of
depart from that plan now but 11^ ^^'"' "^ "^^^' ^^'» »ot
wild races in an ascendin^'s Tie 2 m "^ ".T""^' ^""^^^-^ t^e
civilization. " ''^'' ^' "^^"sured by the barometer of
.•a^'t:rSt::;iS;:m~^ the Ossification of
of which may not be e^lrd ,'^;:r^^^^^^^^
."ost abominable of all infamou ha "ts v ^ ' !tV" ^"''^ °' *'^'^
fest many marks of intelligence admi,^.hl " '"'P'"^*^' '^""•-
genuity and homogeneity such ,^ m ^^vernment, industry, i„™
But since this disgu'stin^t: ot i an^lIdeT Jll!: """"J ^^ '''''' ^''
harism, I shall first notice somp nf fi , """^ ^^^'"^^^^ bar-
the world. "^ "^ *'^^ remarkable cannibal tribes of
THE MONBUTTO OANNrBALS.
Itie Monbuttos of Nnhia nro „ *
"Id .aoe» „, „„ th, 2;, none „:™;r ""'^ 7'" '""°"g '"o
">-y peculia,. „„d „„„„„,„:; future" ..rr""^ '''""""'"*^ ^»
e i^^vats It may be said tl.at they maintmn m
734
SEA AND LAND.
isolation not exceeded by the tro-lodytes or anthropomorphic ape.
J hey cultivate, however, the sweet potato, eas.nva, plantain, «.'
tree, and are experts in extracting oils for cookin-, lighting tull
drinking purposes. They know nothing of the art of weaviix? but
continue to make fabrics, strings, and hut coverings from the bark of
the fig tree. They never make clothing from the skins of animaK
though few, If any tribes, excel them in hunting, their principal «.aine
being elephants, buffaloes, wild boars and antelopes, which afford
them an abundance of meat at all times.
The Monbuttos are intense lovers of grease, and not only consume
large quantities of oil expressed from palm pods, earth nuts, sesame
and the fruit of forest trees, but they gather quantities of a certain'
plant, from which they extract a greasy substance by boijincr, and
this they drink with great relish. But of most universal use amoD.
them IS human fat, the climax of their culinary practices.
A KINO THAT DINES OFF BABIES.
The cannibalism of the Monbutto is the most pronounced of all
the nations of Africa. Surrounded as they are by a number of peo-
pie who are blacker than themselves, and who, being inferior to them
m culture, are consequently held in great contempt, they have ju^t
the opportunity which they want for carrying on expeditions of war
or plunder, which result in the acquisition of a booty that is espe-
cially coveted by them, consisting of human flesh. The carcas.es of
all who fall in battle are distributed upon the battle-field, and are
prepared by drying for transport to the homes of the conquerors
They drive their prisoners before them without remorse, as butchers
would drive sheep to the shambles, and these are only reserved to fall
victims, on a later day, to their horrible and sickening greediness
Schvveinfurth says that during his stay at the court of Munzu-the
Monbutto King — the general rumor was quite current that nearly
every day some little child was sacrificed to supply his meul "It
would hardly be expected," he writes, -that many opportunities
should be afforded to strangers of witnessing the natives at their re-
past, and to myself there occurred only two instances when I came
upon any of them whilst they were actually engaged in prepaiint^
human flesh for consumption. The first of these happened by my
coming unexpectedly upon a number of young women who had a
supply of boiling water upon the clay floor in front of the doorway
oi a iiul, uuii were engaged in the task of scalding the hair off the
le
THE WOELD ASHOBE.
lower half of a human bodv Ti,« ''*
had changed the black skin i,i !',?""'"•'"''"• ■""'"''^ "ffecUd
jU could not fan to make n, think ::if''^J r' '"" ^-gus^ilg
of ourfatted swine. On anotheroica, fn „ "^"'"'"^ "^ ^">"in|
^olXdattfkT'^^^---
«" == ^tedir tir --" -.-^:.:;;::-
an,a„ fle,h, and puttl.o di^ qet. ™ to tr;?-""" '" '"« '"'- »
.tat just at this precise time, whr^ ™e" t, "" '""' " ''"""--<>
"" "'"^mption of human food. Mul'l I" "'" T"''^' "'<"° "»«
.w.-.re that such a practice was held n ,1. ""'T'^ '"''' """ '^'"S
oare that it should only l,e carried o„ 1 1::;™ "^ -' '- '"'d taken
"As! have said TlLr"'""" * ""'"'°" «*«•
'^e hahits Of thelo'n'hr :: l:!"""^ '"^ ^'™"^-- '» o—e
oar caravan were carefully cxcln,l»/h V *''" '''"'go "«d Mittoo of
and, therefore, reckoned ,fs Tavalt I'l^^l'T '"'"^ ""--"cised
Mnbians prevented them fro n pi ,Ik n ^ ''"'^'"" ^"'•""'-^ »f
w.th ca,mibals. Nevertheless tl"e^" ° t1""^ '"'"^ '" <""nn>on
Ihemselves auffieieut to sW bj 't "m ".'"" "''°''""^<' -« i»
«d>lic.edtocannibalismthan7e,hn,L tf"" "'« '«'• "><>'■«
They do not constitute the fir "S ""fu"'' """''''"'-!'""•
t»n,an flesh eaters-who are in . ZT, ""' «»""°l"'Phagi_
many savages who persistently Ludiatf h'' *'"•'''' '" '='"""•« """>
fle«h (for example the Fiji uLaZTaV'^ enjoyment of human
for mo to recount the person.d !? ""'^"■•"ibs). It is needless
"«ries who have accompS" 'e Mo^bTr "' ""= ^'"""» — "
Poditions, or to describe h „ ,h, ^""^T" "" ""'''' """-'"ding ex-
again to detail the ,;':^Z uttLH; " Tt" '"''" '"'"""' '^'- «
O'V'g it over the fire in its p! "L "? """ '""? ^'"l^ ""d
numerous skulls .ow in tl"e A Lf f i;" ""■ "^""^""■Ption. The
"-remains of =ae J "» * ^holTr ^'r'"" "' ''-"•"••'- -•">piy
'•it» of co,,;.e.. ,„,] ..„ ?." ,: "'"''' \ P">-=l>aiied one after another for
tlm\T».,K..... -»/ any nation of the world. But vhh •- ti
nfff
736
SEA AND LAND.
as few natives of the African wilderness can boast; men to whom
one may put a reasonable question, and who will return a reasonable
reply. The Nubians can never say enough in praise of their faitli-
fulness in friendly intercourse, and of the order and stability of their
national life. According to the Nubians, too, the Monbutto were their
superiors in the arts of war, and I often heard the resident soldiers
contending with their companions and saying, 'Well, perhaps you
are not afraid of the Monbutto, but I confess that I am, and I cau
tell you they are something to be afraid of.' '*
NIAH-NIAM WARRIORS.
Some years before Schweinfurth's visit to Africa the Khartoom
traders had a trial at arms with the Monbutto, of which he heard
frequent confirmatory accounts, and particularly of the heroism dis-
played by a famous Amazon, the sister of King Munza. Eye wit-
nesses of her wonderful skill and bravery relate that she was
equipped in full armor and armed with shield and lance, and girded
with the rokko apron of a man. Thus caparisf«npd p-hc led on the
troops of her father against Aboo Guroon, whose large force pf
ahe led on the ^S
THE WORLD A8HORE.
Arabs, that was well suuuU. i • . ^^^
way of the Nile o. Zanzibar ^ Z'"T'^ "'" ^"'^-' ^^^ eountrv by
Mohammedan <ruides a.u? ., • / '^'P^'n<^«"t almost entirdv .....
■""' '*'"'"'• Ho thoreforo Mh of „ • ',"""'"''^ '" ''""'"ring iv"l
b»v. prevented, but wa, powe le" t' < "" ;k"''"'^^'' ''° -""M gl d y
mterert of the Mol,an„„ed„„,, . n" " "7"""?. '»vi„g,o thi^self-
JI..l.ammed, the leader, ■■enre on, , 5 '"' P""">f"^ 'l-'-o-ch Nul! .f
:V°™ ™ -„,.„ exhauZ^'lht'S^if ''■■''' "''" "^'-pX'
""'<■»' " ^*<"« of this necessary , Ivi 1 "" """'"''"e'l the eara^a
h.« «.oek he proposed a raid^^r til ""' n'""'"^''- To repleZ
"-•cup.ed a disfict „ea,- by Zll ' "f" ""> -^o^-^'fe •, who
Sdnve,„f„,.,h ejected, but'^t,"' ' .^ "''^ "■" N'-"'"-'-™ cou„ ^y
sul>oi-dn,ate, sent his h-eute,n„f T '"" "l'l«'"-ing o,,e„lv i^
l-ondses of aid had no dffi ^ -rT".'; '° ""= N™".-nia°ns'and w th"
« ...OS sbockin. brutalities, as he B.^ T" ""' "'■-n'l'a-.ied by
oteiy by surprise that they s .'ecdv ™ T'' ""''° """"' ^" <=""'-
l>=...»elves. A large number of XeX "" '*"'' '" "«^^'"'
a g.'eat quantity of corn. The Khl ■ ™''""''"'' '"S'^'hor with
: "7 '--'e Babuekurs, t^ yo r::"^ "f" '""'-'- ""-«„n
""■ '■ '"■■"•*«. the n,iddle.aged f o, | r° T^""' """>■ <'<'»"n'=d for
tar caldrons. Of ti.eir^o ., b,c o f;''" "'"' ""' "'" "''"' '''"■•
Schwenifurth writes but little ^V, ! l""l"''.'ated in this raid
"»' 1.7 ...entioning the f It Ih'f ';"^%"- "-der to infer a g,:';
";"7» ean,e to hi^ with t tti ^t,""^' ""•"• "^ ■•"-'< - e
•Ly bad heard that he gave r,n 1 'f '"' """""' '''""'"^ l-oil-d ;
-' "ff-^d to sell the ghas.VSsT;::,:;4-^""=- '"■• »k"..»'
" Some days aft»rth":ront -"'"""•
' «« -tness pf a .cene"^ ^ tvlb*""'"/"-^^ Schweiufurth.
" ""<= of my rambles I fom d mv If"-'™"' ''■""* ""^ '"'"■"'y'
«. """" "'yelf ... one of the native farii-
Dur
738
SEA AND LAND.
steads. Before the door of the first hut I cnme to, an old woman wji:*
sitting surrounded by a group of boys and girls, all busily engajjcd
in cutting up gourds and preparing them for eating ; nt the door of
the opposite hut a man was sitting composedly playing on his niinido.
lin. Midway between the two huts a mat was spread; upon thj^
mat, exposed to the full glare of the noon-day sun, feebly gaspinir,
lay a new-born infant ; I doubt whether it was more than a day old.
In answer to my inquiries I learnt that the child was the offspring of
one of the slaves who had been captured in the late raid, and who
had now been driven off to a distant quarter, compelled to leave her
infant behind, because its nurture would interfere with her properly
fulfilling her domestic duties. The ill-fated little creature, doomed
to so transient an existence, was destined to form a dainty dish ; and
the savage group was calmly engaged in their ordinary occupations
until the poor little thi'ng should have breathed its last and be ready
to be consigned to the seething Ciildron ! I profess that for a moment
I was furious. I felt ready to shoot the old hog who sat by without
displaying a particle of p'ty or concern. I was prompted to do
somethinjr rash to give vent to mv sensation of abhorrence; but I
was swayed by the protestations of the Nubians ringing in my ears
that they were powerless in the matter, and that they had not come
to be law-givers to the Niam-niams."
CHAPTER XXXVII.
THE FANS AND THEIR DREADFUL HABITS.
pEXT to the Monbutto tribe of cannibals, if not indeed equal-
ing them in bloody propensities, are the Fans of South-
west Africa. In "The World's Wonders" I devoted consid-
erable space to these people, and will, therefore, only add
a few pages of additional information here, gleaned from several
travelers who sojourned in the Fan country.
Of all barbarians none are more cruel and rapacious than the Fans;
their delight is in war, which they wage upon weaker tribes without
the slightest provocation, and invariably conduct their campaigtiswiti;
the view of totally annihilating those whom they attack.
THE WORLD .tSUOIlE.
Du Chafllu describe, a scene „.,• ■ '*'
«s l..cap,.l,l„ „/„ff„,.i „„y d^Z"'''"''"'' "" Mpo'.gwo vill,,™ that
to nhabitants Afte,- T^on,;,' .^T ,; -^-"'-l-^iy .nu..d:,.oi'a
to plundermg tl.u huts.nnd when ,?,„ „ """''"'"" work, they sot in
va ed the b„riai.g,.ou„ds, „he r 1 '""" T"'"' "'» ■"O'-fe
bod e, for the sake of .hj ona^f ;;':!;"• '^« ^-^'--^o,. dec.; d
'-^">.>.,.,...,..^.::;.a:.r.:Li-?r-
body and, after carrying it to a olnm.. *
- cooked the bod; if the" v rpo t"vt7f ""d Y' '""' " "'^
same grave. The feast wl,i,.|, f ii j ^ '^"""<' '""i"'! i" the
•» thej. tore away t e er" flel Tf. "" """'""^ "■ "■" ^"--e.
-" to eat it int'o pleVer^^ittlrt -v^ '"'"' ""' "■"<" '"^ "-
,,n,, ;"n !'■''*' T'""'' P™""''' ea„„ibab-s,„ are „.«)„,„.^ of the -
f^^'ing of pnde and ius float on T '"""^ '" '"^^ "J^"" ^* -'t^ »
protest against su.kU^ZlTut ^^'T"'"'"'' "'"^ missionaries
nnuman L. bit^ the Fans will ackuowledfee that
hlJi
M II
740
8KA AND LAND.
some of their tribes do » at hun.in flesij, but not those whom tlio
misKionarioH are fjucstiuuing; that those of the neighboring vinafr<'s
are human flrt-b -caters, but not they.
Knowing this peculiarity, Mr. W. Reade, the f xplorer, took caroto
ask no questions on the subject until ho had passed through all the
places previously visited by white men, and then questioned an ohj
and very polite cannibal. His answers woic plain enough. Of CiHirse
they all ate men. He ate men himself. Man's flesh was very good,
and was " like monkey, all fat." He nu)stly ale prisoners of war,
but some of his friends ate the bodies of exocuttMi wizards, a food f
which he was rather afraid, thinking that it nn'ght disagree with hn
He would not admit that he ate his own relations when they died,
although such a statement is made, and has not yi'i been disproved.
Some travelers say that the Fans do not eat peoi)le of their own vi!
lage, but live on terms'of barter with neighboring villages, aniicabh
exchanging their dead for culinary purposes. The Oshehas , xmoWw^
cannibal tribe of the same country, keep up friendly relations with
the Fans, and exchange the bodies of the dead v h them. The
bodies of slaves are also sold for the pot, and are toUsiably cheap, a
dead slave costing, on an average, one small elephant's tusk.
The f!' Mudy Fan above mentioned held, in common with n any of
his darl • 'mtrymen, the belief that all white men were cannibak
*«Tbebe, ' tsid a Bakalai slave, on first beholding a white man, "are
the meu t; 5t eat us I" So he asked Mr. Beade why the white men
take the trouble to send to Africa for negroes, when they could cat
as many white men as they liked in their own land. His interlocutor,
having an eye to the possible futuie, discreetly answered that thiv
were obliged to do so, because the flesh of white men was deadly p<
son, with which answer the worthy cannibal was perfectly satisfied.
DAUGHTERS A BLE8SINQ TO FAN FATHERS.
Nearly all the tribes of Africa increase very slowly, notwitijst Hid-
ing the fact that polygamy is general. The Fans, however, seem (o
be an exception, though their habits are different from other tribes
only in marrying their children off at a later age than is the ciislom
with other races in Africa. A daughter is an unmixed blessing to
a Fan father, for, until she becomes of a marriageable ajre — about
sixteen years — she assists her mother in performing all the hard woric,
and when she at length marrys she brings her father an excelieiii
return. There is ijo sugb thing as courtship among the Fans. Fre-
I
)t those whom the
eighboring villages
plorer, took care to
Lid through all the
questioned an old
iuough. Of Cuursc
;sh was very good,
prisoners of war,
wizards, a food nf
disagree with Im
8 when they died,
^t hc«>n disproved.
e of their own vil-
villages, amicably
3 OsJiebas, anotlm
dly relations with
V h them. The
tolerably cheap, a
nt's tusk,
ion with n an) of
1 were cannibals.
white man, "are
y the white men
n they could eat
His interlocutor,
swercd that llnv
I was deadly pi
fectly satisfied,
ts.
ly, notvvitlistind-
lowever, 'secui (o
rom other tribes
m is the fiislom
lixed blessing to
able age — about
II the hard work,
her an exceileni
the Fans. Fre-
THE WORLD AfilfORB
''; ^'.t"" *» "■'■ i.igi,„,,t bidXr ;■;,,", ""'• ""'■" '-■■"t "pu "
"f Mde.-,,„t,vM,.|, ei„,„ ,,,,..;,;»■» Piotty, tl,er„ i, „„ Z^
™l viilue, while tlu, brd,l,.r« i„ r , ""*"'" hef merit, i !
i»». « -le i, „,„do. '""^ '" '""" "-- <ieery ,,e.. oC:!::!::^^
After a girl has been soM th
f"™ed before ,he fnMytZT::^: 'T'™°"^ ""'^ "> 0" P--
A .'AN p.-rHER ..e,,oN,Na okk „,s bauuhtkk
^-'^^^^z^dTztr i" - '^^ --'- .be
l«cd to last several d«vs „„dT t, T^"""' ^ ""^ '"art i el
'^". o, expe..e is .o„.ti:. "^Tt t't i^ """^ "' "'"P'^' '^^
fvenshed, and he therefore W , «'•"""' '^ ""erly im-
P^nts used to call ...::.:;^;f„:;,",r- '"-"'y. what our g^.„I
lediately so.tl. I"/,,":";:'"*'" "''"'"".
S(|
th of the J-quato,
1 V "'^••^lu ui me
Jargeaud fertile territory held
>"d near the Nile bas
Hi'
t>y ; tribe of extremely fier
in, is a
■ce cannibals
lrS ,:]
MICROCOI»V RESOLUTION TEST CHART
(ANSI and ISO TEST CHART No. 2)
A APPLIED IIVHGE Ir
^B*. '6S3 East Main Street
S^S Rochester. New York 1460'
^= (716) 482 - 0300 - Phone
^S (716) 288-5989 -Fox
742
SEA AND LAND.
■-■^
called the Niam-niams, or Neam-nam. Our information respecting
these curious people is almost wholly obtained from Mr. Petherick,
the English consul at Khartoum, who visited them about 1860.
They are not blacks, but in color are a light brown, or olive tint, and
weav their hair so long that it flows down over their shoulders.
Though they have never had any relations with even Ariib traders,
and know nothing whatever of civilization, thev cloth<? themselves in
a cloth woven of the fibers of certain barks, and they wear a very
pretty sandal having a leather sole. The women and men wear num-
erous ornaments made from shells, ivory and hippopotamus hide, and
for bodily cleanliness they are positively remarkable. But for all
this they are voracious cannibals, and s^o war-like in disposition that
they strike terror into all neighboring tribes.
When Mr. Petherick passed through their country, many of his
fporters could not be induced to enter the territory of such a terrible
tribe, even though protected by the white man's weapono. Several
of them deserted on the way, and at last, when they had come in
sight of the tirst village, the rest flung down their loads and ran away,
only the interpreter being secured.
As they neared the village, the menacing sound of the alarm drum
was heard, and out came the Niam-niams in full battle array, their
lances in their right hands and their large shields covering their bodies.
They drew up in line, and seemed disposed to dispute the passage;
but as the party marched quietly and unconcernedly onward, they
opened their ranks and allowed them to enter the village, from which
the women and children had already been removed. They then seated
themselves under the shade of a large sycamore tree, deposited the
baggage, and sat in a circle round it, keeping on all sides a front to
the armed natives, who now began to come rather nearer than was
agreeable, some actually seating themselves on the travelers' feet.
They were all very merry and jocose, pointing at their visitors con-
tinually, and then bursting into shouts of approving laughter. There
was evidently some joke which tickled their fancy, and by means of
the intepreter it was soon discovered.
The fact was, that the Niam-niam were cannibals, and meant to eat
the strangers who had so foolishly trusted themselves in the country
without either spears, swords, or shields, but they did not like to kill
them before their chief arrived. When this pleasant joke was ex-
plained, the astonished visitors were nearly as amused as the Niar:>
ation respecting
Mr. Petherick,
m about 1860.
ir olive tint, and
their ishouldeis.
a Ar^lb traders,
c! themselves in
hey wear a very
men wear nuni-
tanius hide, and
e. But for all
disposition that
y, many of his
F such a terrible
ipono. Several
iy had come in
s and ran away,
the alarm drum
tie array, their
ng their bodies,
;e the passage;
' onward, they
ge, from which
hey then seated
, deposited the
5ides a front to
earer than was
travelers' feet,
ir visitors con-
ughter. There
id by means of
id meant to eat
in the country
not like to kill
tit joke was ex-
as the NiaD>
,5^.< ^
ifW'il
.11 I llj 9 lUV-l
._u. li....... awvi ihoir large shields covering their botlioi
Ihcy drew u)) in line, and seemed disposed to dispute the passatze
but as the parly marched quietly and unconcernedly onward, the
opened their ranks and allowed them to enter the village fvom wliio
the women and children had already been removed. T!. ;en scute
themselves under the shade of a large sycamore tree, deposited tli
ba^o-a^re, and sat in a circle round it, keejjing on !«"
the armed natives, who now began +-
-''•eeable, some actually sen<^"
ere all verv n^
ii
^•.-(^ >
iolds covering their bodies.
L>d to dispute the passage;
conoernedly onward, they
ter the village ^rom wliirii
•emoved. T!. .en seated
•amore tree, depc-^ited tlie
niir on
..n
^--^*" ^^^^^^^iJmmmi^^ -
iPlat
ate 4
•sw-toaii^.
TERRIBLE BATTLE WITH FAN CANNIBALS
' HHrcn lea?
!>,i1
THE WORLD ASHORE.
niams, knowing perfectly well tint tho" ^^^
pie, and the followin<r extrao din 'T'^'''^''^ '^^ turned to his .J
whence they come?" '^'^^ ^*''^"Se rnen. Do you know
"No! but we will feast n,, <j
olci man, holding up ::rlZt"cI^^ ^^^ *'-
t'^"^ • ^ ' ""* ^«»^'»and.ng silence, proceeded
" Do you know of anv triho f i, ,f
lagei,, «uch s,.,a„ „„ c'sl ht el: " ""T "" ""'"""" "-'■'-
"Nor was „gai„ vociferated ' ""'"'"
pa., ™e;,CndT:„rvoTet^^^^^^^ t^:?- ^ '><' ^ who a„
0- must indeed be di,,a„t, „„d TolZyV" """'"""■ Tl-oi^oun- .
then- country and ours ouHitt, he ° ,' Tr '" "'""-'' '"''"» •>«*«»"
«t t e thing, they hold i„°t, e ! ,„T"; , °"'" °'."™- """■■• I^""^
nor hows and arrows, but inexp able 'h '/■ " '""">«■• 'l---. ^'ubs
Ne.the,. have they shields to dZ^u^ " "'"'7''"'"'"' "" """O-
Therefore, to have traveled thus f"u. ^ '" '^'■""' ""'• """P""'-
■-*nce ™„st be as puzd , to u,' IZ'f "''"" "' ""'''• '"^"' "^
that any tribe, aye, even our ^.n c'J '"'""■'"'■ '" ""^ a™>3
N.an,-niam, I, who have led vo to m "Tt '" "'™- ^''""•"f'"-''.
JO" have often followed, lylZ "o7 " "f^' "'"' "''"»« ^o-n-^cl
•disgrace upon y„„r fathe ■, wh„ t ^""'' '''"'"• '" ™'"' ""'• ''■•'•""
ll""" "ot, but prove vomse! "'"'', "«'™'- been vanquished. Touch
handful of brave ,„en ^„ "d d ' ""';"'-^ "' ">» M^-d^hip of such
■ather than degral l: l;;;:':::;;^- """"V^ -tertaLng til
Jt is impossible not to L "'","'""''»<'« »' y""r insults."
«« wise enou,d, to deduce tlu^st'^ltZf ?•""'" "' ""'^ "'''*'• "'">
Paient weakness, and to fear them f .k """""'^ '''"» ">«"• "l)-
"i-nore ignorant and in,p „ „ 'ne ri T, " -^ """"" """ »"-<'
Having thus cdmed thi ? ' ' "^ '" ''""l"'"' "'em.
-Pons'of h la :!" tt '" A ™'^"'"'V" "^'"='' '" "'■'P"* tie st^n^e
- -.oved-Utvt rb^":e:;".f, <•.'<• '■L-- •'•-ap havin-:
manner in
We
been
w
was evi
'Je a knife, as it had no ed^e
dently not a club ; and yet
it could not
if!
11
'ge;nora8pear,a8ithad no point. In
744
SEA AND LAND.
ilftllH
tleed, the fact of the bariel being liollow puzzled liiin exeeedin
At last he poked his finger down the muzzle, and looked in(iuiiii
at his guests, as if to ask what could be the use of such an aiti
By way of answer, Mr. Petheriek took a gun, and, [jointing to a
ture that was hovering over their heads, fired, and brought it dowi
But before the bird touched the ground, the crowd were prostr
and grovelling in the dust, as if every man of them had been si
The old man's head, with his hands on his ears, was at Mr. Petheri<
feet; and when he raised him, his apjjearance was ghastly, and
eyes were fixed on him with a meaningless expression. Mr. Pethei
thought that the (Hiief had lost his senses.
"After shaking him several times," says Mr. Petheriek,"]
length succeeded in attracting his attention to the fallen bird, qui\
ing in its last agonies between two of his men. The first sign
returning animation he gave was putting his hand to his head, j
examining himself as if in search of a wound. He gradually recover
and, as soon as he could regain his voice, called to the crowd, v
one after another first raised their heads, and then again droj)]
them at the sight of their apparently lifeless comrades. After
repeated calls of the old man, they ventured to rise, and a gene
inspection of ijraginary wounds commenced."
THE WONDERFUL WEAPONS OF THE NIAM-NIAM8.
When the Niam-niam warrior goes out to battle, he takes with li
a curious series of weapons. He has, of course, his lance, which
well and strongly put together, the blade being leaf-shaped, like tl
of a hog spear, oidy very n.uch longer. On his left arm he bears
shield, which is made of bark fibre, woven very closely together, t\
very thick. The maker displays his taste in the patterns of t
work, and in those which he traces upon it with various colored dyi
Within the shield he has a sort of wooden handle, to which are i
tached one or two most remarkable weapons.
One of these is wholly flat, the handle included, and is about t
thickness of an ordinary sword-blade. The projecting portions ti
all edged, and kept extremely sharp, while the handle is rather thick
than the blade, and is rounded and toughened, so as to afford a fii
grip to the hand.
When the Niam-niam comes near his enemy, and before he
within range of a spear thrust, he snatches one of these strani
weapons from his shield, and hurls it at the foe, much as an An
D.
\y puzzled liitn exceodiiiglv.
uzzlo, iiiid looUod iiHiuiiin«>|\
Ug the use of such an article.
I gun, and, i)()inting to a vul-
fired, and brought it down,
id, the crowd were prostrate,
Tian of them had been shot,
s ears, was at Mr. Petherick's
iirance was ghastly, and his
s expression. Mr. Petherick
says Mr. Petherick, <'I .it
[)n to the fallen hii'd, quiver-
his men. The first sign of
g his hand to his head, and
nd. He giaduaily recovered,
:e, called to the crowd, who
:1s, and then again di'opp^'d
Feless comrades. After tlic
tured to rise, and a genenil
•ed."
THE NIAM-NIAM8.
to battle, he takes with him
course, his lance, which is
V)eing leaf-shaped, like that
On his left arm he bears his
n very closely together, ancl
ste in the pattei-ns of the
t with various colored dycs-
1 handle, to which are al-
ms.
included, and is about the
'he projecting portions are
i the handle is rather thicker
ned, so as to afford a firm
enemy, and befoi'e he is
ches one of these strange
the foe, much as an Aus-
THE WORLD ASHORE.
74 T
tralian flings liis bo,,,,,,.,, .,„ ,„,,„. , ,.
Owing to thi. ..KKi; ;,;;■„;;„;; ;*;::";;:"« "■"" .» i.o .i,,.;,";;'.'
-'/'■•CO, „„U(f the ,„.„j„ctin.' lTl,„|o', ,.11'"'" ""'''"''' " "'"»i'J-'Wl,le
And as scvcal of tl,e.«o are I,m,.|,. i ■ . '""' '"'" "" »'<' »P"t.
"-ttho Ni„,„.ni„„, ^„,z r "',,,;,;:.;!:" ;'""""""• ''■"-"•''-'
HUNTERS OF Q»ME AND V.T „ " "" "< ■HHy U|,n.
The sa,„„ „.oa|,„„s ,vi,io , tl,o Ni, , ' °" """"' '"»"•
'"■^ M,„ ek.„l,a„t, l,i,,„o,„,ta,„r ,^, , '' "'""" ■^"<'«- "' '""'t-
'I'o- liuntcs tl,at tl.ov will n" ,".;„, r,""''" ""'' ^"l'"'' «'■"
luicklyasa„y„f ,1,0 ,;,,;,„ ,„„^";i',""' '"II «" elephant quite a.,'
I'ert in,,„.oved .-ifles of u»Uy ""' '""""^ '" ^Wea with the
to";2S;i::;:i:';:!;;:-,:7'-7'e"«fu, in their .e,.,.i.
.has p,.o.ided, l.a,-.i,.nh,,.,v?i ' t^Th T;'' ""-""-'f"".!
" ""t quite, as ,nueh f„,. ihe 1,3 ' "■" ^'.'' "' '"""-» "linost,
fl-^i. .t yields. The a,-g„ ,'°, t'^' ,' ^ l"'''"" "«-*. «b for the
l'ytl.eo..iststoexc„se.he,,m luon, " T','. ""'™'-»"ll^ "Ovaneed
-t apply „i,h ,he least e e "vl tT' X" '■' "' '""'"'"- ■"» "^
t"n,be,,eeouotedf„..„p„ ;;;X ° ""'■ "^- """a.- ^^^c„s-
f'■^- purely hecanse tVey;:rrt't:::r^^^^^^^^^^^^ '"-^ - "■^^••
'^oir e»e:":",;r:::f -::;-' '™"- !>-'•• ";^° -' -ly devour
victim who may fall i„ theU. .t" xi, """'■ '""F''^ ""l^'i'e' ->« any
eHok that wi,™ their ow,^ neo„,„ k ■'' "''"" ''•'™""^<' '" «■■• Peth-
further service, they were , "at ^ !l"'^'^" '"" "''^ "'"' f"''"" '<>■•
also when any of 'tirerate^ttlrl '""■'■ """'^^ ^»'-- ^-
'"■ea they ,u.ee,.ten, rather araw.,,rn^\„'";er "l™^ """ ^^' ""P"
the feast which their bodies afford; ^ others, however, than for
if
■if M
■:ll
746
SEA AND LAND.
CHAPTER XXXVIII.
THE BONNY CANNIBALS. *
|F ail the savage tribes of Africa, and there are many, th(
are none that can rival the Bonnys'm ferocity, blood-thir.si
nes8, cannibalism and infamous* practices generally. Th«
impish and fiendish people inhabit a rather small distr
near the west coast of Africa, and their chief city, or capital, whicli
also called Bonny, is situated on the river bearing the same name
stream of water so murky, foul and foetid that when Burton ascend
it in a canoe, he was obliged to stop his nostrils with camphorat
cotton.
The history of Pepper, Piemento, or Peppel, as he is various
called. King of Bonny, is a, wonderful one. This remarkable pote
tate was accustomed to dine every day off the palms of young mei
hands, for which he h.id a passionate liking. His bloody propensiti
were such that he hesitated at no crime, but, at length, he murder
a popular chief named Manilla, and also shot his wife because s
displeased him, which base crimes so incensed his subjects that 1
was deposed and sent to Ascension, while the government was hand(
over to four regents.
Peppel, though a savage, was not without much cunning, by the e
ercise of which he contrived to be taken to England, in 1857, ai:
there adopted English manners, became religious, was baptized, ai
then he set about to perfect a scheme for re-establishing himself on tl
throne of Bonny. The church people of England took the livelie
interest in him, not only showing him such attentions as he vi'i
utterly unfit to receive, but they very willingly subscribed to his grei
scheme for Christianizing his countrymen. To this end they contril
uted the sum of $100,000 towards establishing a missionary statioi
and the old reprobate, not satisfied with this princely assistance, ii
duced several Englishmen to return with him to Bonny as his suit(
to whom he promised ministerial positions in his court and splendi
salaries.
When the deluded followers of Peppel arrived with him at Bonn
their surprise may be imagined when, instead of finding a sumptuoi;
palace abounding with every conceivable luxury, they saw only a co
:viii.
NIBALS. A
1, and there are many, there
iyn in ferocity, bhxxi-thirstty-
practices generally. These
ahit a rather siuall district
lief city, or capital, which is
er bearing the same name, a
that when Burton ascended
I nostrils with camphorated
Peppel.as he is variously
J. This remarkable poten-
P the pabns of young men's
»g. His bloody propensities
but, at length, he murdered
> shot his wife because she
sensed his subjects that he
the government was handed
ut much cunning, by the ex-
n to England, in 1857, and
eligious, was baptized, and
-establishing himself on the
England took the liveliest
such attentions as he was
igly subscribed to his great
To this end theycontrib-
ishing a missionary station,
this princely assistance, in-
hira to Bonny as his suite,
18 in his court and splendid
arrived with him at Bonny
ead of finding a sumptuous
ixury, they saw only a col-
THE WORLD ASHORE.
747
lection of the most miserabin Imvni
tto whole town .,ce„p . ;;tt T"""':' '" " """'-""• -'"-I"
...lors „„d vapor, aa „„ civ Id ,m „■! . , 7 ""'' "'""""'■•' »'"•'' -»"
found to 1.0 „s im,.gh.,,.yr, ;•'::"""'' '" "'" "'"■•"■- "-iv >vo,.o
yarn, a, a„ cqmvalcn fo,- wiv al 1 f ""'" "''"' " """P'" »'
I..SI of their terrible l.lu"/ iL l^'"'^' '''"•' '"'" '" """<» "-
f".' they speedily s«c um l^t th 'de"air";''''' '"" '""" '■'""'•""''
filth of their surroundings. "'"^ "'""""' '""> >'"■'■" <leadly
P u ^^^ 8A0RED JU-JU HOUSES
-vMoh eh.raeten.ed hi. HrrlSatiir '" '" '"^ "^"^"^ ''"»""»'
K^: ^t'r:;e:::e;ir 'C::;.: ■ r ■""'-' •- «'- -
«nd wattle supported on po" s 1 ! T ""' """P"""" "f »>''»•>
pe.-l.ap, because that article i,' r .^d! ! 1 ,'■- ""'^ "■""» "^" "' """'.
ties, to be had for the 1; "I'" '^'i:' :;;.'»''"r'''''^ ''""■'''-
somewhat resemble Swiss c .»,?,„ • .u ■ ""^"""T '"'"-^es, which
eonsist of three rooi^r o- it ? bvi ""' ""'""' "PP-"™--
ju-ju, or chapel room TuJL '"'"«""""- » kitchen, and a
every Bonny'houso fi.r w 1 ,,1"." "" .'"f »''-'°-^»'''» '"'J""et to
ju-j". which is the guardian h! ■"'";"' '"■'P' "■« '""»'>. or
room are also erowded ,„a Iv .1 H ? ",",'' "' '""""''■ I"'» 'h''
"Wing to its sacred eh actt t™'";'"- <" "- family, which,
eovetous, though superstt:; ^gl I'""'!?;?;?. "l''''.^'' f^
"nytlnng answei-8 the purpose s .ch « -n' . • '""J" ""'="'
a tooth, an old shoe, 'or a':; di ', 'l^Z":, " 7' "'";'"°^'
owner may hit upon. ^ ^''^ ^'"'^^^ o^ the
edS WcatitrittTellf ""^ ""'" '^ » '™'^ g>-"y-aPPoaring
It- builtofTwlh-i t t ;r"7""°°^"'''' '"*"»■» "'■"»-
"'forty or fifty fee? 'tlTh '"•»»«'>«'- ""d "■ shape is oblong,
ii. the end oveVwhkl , , " • """ " ''''"^''''- ^" »"»'■ '^ Pl^eed
Under the eaves 0"^""™"'^ '" ^'"^ """ ™'" "« ""' P^'^'-
of • 'av,, V J u ' ""^ °'"' °' "'^'"^ 'S conspicuous b.' r—or
-I .. ,aige black beard which still adheres to if ti ' . '
eral goat skulls «ri.«n».j k .. """"'es 'o it. There are also sev-
S sRulls atranged between the human, while many skinless
748
SEA AND LAND.
Iicacls look «rnnnin^ly >lown on the altur from upright polos fix
tho ground. Under the altur is h circular hole huving a raised
made of clay, in which is received the hlood of victinis, togi
with the sacred lil)ationM. Within this ju-ju house are l>urie(
bodies of Bonny kings, since it is meet that they should lie
the bloody scones they had in their lifetime so frequently prove
BLOOO AND TORTURE.
Tho ju-ju house admirably illustrates the character of tho p(
-—a race which takes a positive pleasure in the sight of blood, ai
inflicting and witnessing pain. All over the country the tra
comes upon scenes of blood and torture. Animals are boun
various positions calculated to cause them the greatest suffei
goats and fowls, for no other reason tliiin malignancy on the pu
the natives, are found everywhere tied to posts head downward,
hung up by their ears or one leg, and all left to die in that posii
after which they are oaten. Even the children of prisoners take
war — which is usually waged merely for the purpose of plundi
are hung by the middle on tall poles while the parents are rose
to be sacrificed and eaten.
As to this last report, the Bonnys declare it to be false, but the 1
cannot be doul)ted, since we have tho confirmation of several w
travelers who have witnessed the act. For example, King Pe
gave a grand banquet in honor of a victory which he had garned
Calabar, and in which Amakree, the King of that district, was ti
prisoner. The European traders were invited to the feast, and i
most hospitably entertained. They were, however, horrified to
the principal dish which was placed before Peppel. It was the bl
ing heart of Amakree, warm and palpitating as it was torn from
body. Peppel devoured tho heart with the greatest eagerness,
claiming at the same time, <' This is the way I serve my enemies.
hORRIBLE SCENES WITNESSED BY DR. HUTCHINSON.
More recently than tho event just mentioned. Dr. Hutchinson
a witness to Bonny cannibalism. He had heard that something
tho kind was contemplated, although it was kept very quiet. On
appointed morning he had himself rowed to the shore at some
tance from the ju-ju house, near which he concealed himself,
waited for the result. The scene which he soon witnessed he t
describes ;
"I know not of what kind are the sensations felt by those aro
U
ND.
r from upright polcH fixed in
iilar liolo having a ruisetl rim
le Mood of vicliiiKs, logctlar
is ju-ju liouso aro Uuriod the
lit that they should lie aniid
time so fiequeutly provoked.
TURE.
;s the character of the people
e in the sight of blood, and in
icv the count ly the traveler
;uro. Animals are bound in
them the greatest sufferliig;
nin malignancy on the part of
.o posts head downward, doi's
idl left to die in that position,
hildren of prisoners taken in
)r the purpose of plunder —
lile the parents aie reserved
aie it to be false, but the fucl.s
;onfirnnition of sevei-a! white
For example. King Peppcl
ory which he had gained over
ig of that district, was taken
nvited to the feast, and were
t-e, however, horrified to .«iee
ire Peppel. It was the l)leed-
ating as it was torn from tiic
I the greatest eagerness, ex-
way I serve my enemies."
Y DR. HUTCHINSON.
ntioned, Dr. Hutchinson was
lad heard that somethinir of
kvas kept very quiet. On the
ed to the shore at some dis-
b he concealed himself, and
1 he soon witnessed he thus
isations felt by those around
THE WOULD ASHORE.
Newgate, waitino- fm- ..» . ^"^^
.--oit., Huu".:;:;'i.r::t",,;;;j:;-V'-'' •" '- -•-
""!' <lon.,o v„po,.s „„j ,„„, ,,,',", °"«'«'""".y i,„,„L,,i„„,
>f at,„,,,,pi,,.,„ „,„j ^ tia^ ,:%''':';'' ■ »"'■ '• "-"vine,
Hhoneout. AsIJook.JHf '""'""•'^^^''tl' ""'« breaking fh
1 . ^'^ ^ ">olvcd throuirh the «lif : .i '»''K"ig, the sun
eenng «t ,„e with u„ oxpre.sL , , ' '"''" '"'"''' ">at seemed
have been ,. relief i„ .,,„ C^u 't .T :;''?'" '";" ™"'""- '' «->'
o.neth,„g „f „.,,„t I ^„j '*'o» t .0 pl„ce to l,„ve he.nd
Liverpool „r London -„f the Inm,?,^- ' """' '"'' "" "^''''tion in
.nto .eaflold, drop, or coffin ^r^^r'^:''™ "' ""^'"^ '-I
•rid i:'j;s -:.;r '- '""'-»• "" " """""' ''"""
.<Uo.,rned to another time, oT^ll'tot'T' ^ ,""" '"" '"^""'"y «s
a distant murmur of -abbli„„ v„ '""""''■'^<' '"" "ixewl.ere? No
«"■! nearer, till, passing th XL T "" ""■■'"'' "W™^''""? ne,™:
of uegroes-anindiserin nate r „.l'':r';,'"^' ""'• ' ^"^ » S'-P
so huddled together that no ner« " 1 r T "'"' '"'"' '«''■'=«-
|u.h as either an executioner r' L ™t r""/;",""""'^ "'•»"■"■ '
Bu above their olattering talk e-i,ne th ""'"'*''* "'"""S them,
'hat made one shudder '' """"• "' " '''""king ehain
a"^' -aTed"t:c" ' o:"!:;::!':^ ^^'--■^ '""•"^'"' "-^ i-i- "<-■
7<i Jown they aat'upon ^ eTar';!;.';^; ™'^''. "f"-" '' ^'Sle "ord
'la'Klmg upright in "the eenter ''"'""«" "'* "'•"id two %ure»,
'» "» killed. Iho forL, t - mL-rn'""""," """ ""-' ™"" -""
was remarkaule only for the black skull.
750
SEA AND LAND.
cap which ho had on him, and by a common cutlass which he h(
his hand. The latter had chains round his neck, his wrists an
ankles. There was no sign of fear or cowardice about him
seeming consciousness rtf the dreadful fate l)ofore him — no evi^
even upon his face of tliut dogged stubbornness which is said
'exhibited by some i)ersons about to undergo an ignominous d
Save that he stood upright, one would scarcely have known thi
was alive. Amongst the spectators, too, there was a silent ir
siveness which was appalling. Not a word, nor gesture, nor s:
of sympathy, that could make me believe I looked at human b
who had a vestige of humanity among them.
THE SLAUGHTER.
«♦ As the ju-ju butcher stepped back and measured his distan
make an effectual swoop ut his victim's neck, the man moved i]
muscle, but stood as if hsiwere unconscious till
'♦ Chop ! The first blow felled him to the ground. The noise
chopper falling on meat is familiar to most people. No other s(
was here — m)ne from the man; not a whisper nor a murmur i
those who were seated about ! I was nearlv cryinir out in mc
agony, and the sound of that first stroke wilf haunt niy ears to
dying day. How I wished some one to talk or scream, to destro;y
impression of that fearful hough, m^d the still more awful silence
followed it?
"Again the weapon was raided tc continue the decapitation —
other blow as the man lay prostrate, and then a sound broke
silence ! But, O Father of mercy ! of what a kind was that noise -
gurgle and a gasp, accompanying the dying spasm of the struck-dc
man !
" Once more the weapon was lifted — I saw the blood flow in g
horror down the blade to the butcher's hand, and there it was visil
in God's bright sunshine, to the whole host of heaven. Not a wc
had yet been uttered by the crowd. More chopping and cleavii
and the head, severed from the body, was put by the ju-ju executioi
mto a calabash, which was carried off by one of his womeu to
cooked. Ho then repeated another cabalistic word, or perhaps t
same as at first, and directly all who were seatted rose up whilst
walked away.
** A yell, such as reminded me of a company of tigers, arose fro
the multitude — cutlasses were flourished as they crowded round tl
■■'■■— iajw.mB» I
AND.
mmon cutlass which he held in
nd his neck, his wrists and his
or cowardice about /<m — no
fate hofore him — no evidence
jhboniness which is said to ho
undergo an ignominous death.
1 scarcely have known that lie
too, there was a silent inipas-
word, nor gesture, nor glance
lieve I looked at human beings
them.
PER.
and measured his distance to
s neck, the nnin moved not a
■ious — till
0 the ground. The noise of a
iiost people. No other sound
1 whisper nor a murmur from
nearly ciying out in mental
ke will haunt my ears to my
talk or scream, to destroy the
e still more awful silence that
ntinue the decapitation — jin-
md then a sound broke the
^hat a kind was that noise — a
ng spasm of the struck-dowii
I saw the blood flow in irorv
and, and there it was visible,
lost of heaven. Not a word
»Iore chopping and cleaving,
put by the ju-ju executioner
y one of his womei: to be
alistic word, or perhaps the
re seated rose up whilst he
npany of tigers, arose from
as they crowded round the
THE WORLD ASHORE.
body of the dpiul ^ 751
I ™..e „„ the other side „f the fv'c^ '"'1"-^^ c, „„,«e|, whetl," if
^'••'PP'"g life-fluid marked t^Lir ^ ^^ '" '^'''' ^'^^^^l whUe tit
"^:-:t ,i:.» ^^f ,;::;--'■ --: :r:s.t
-vera o„ the spot, „h„ devo" L f '" "''""'""■«• A fo,v dot
spread sand over the pJee ,tj I "«""""^- T"" «■»" "r vej f
f »""'»■ -"-' of coopers harir/'r,"" '"'"""P"™ '" Iho
-»l«dy boe„ „,en.io„ed sltZ^rV "-« ^-^t'oner
°", '»^' "'» «ec„,io„er, whowas sli , '"'""'■^' »^- H"'"''".-
"fam „ few days previously and t,! l! '""'" "'"'"''"'"i '"» office
^mg upbraided iith h.ytTl^ t\' ""''" ">» head of his vie 7m
"'"! he had „„t eaten hlCdhr' '",'""■'''''» »" '"'t' bellpiZ
h"."g put enough pepp".;n i '~ " ""'"' """'S ^P"'M it h/ ot
^k-'^,
^ -«
•ilf
752
feEA AND LAND.
m
CHAPTER XXXIX.
4
THE DAHOME AND ASHANTI PEOPLE.
^N what is known as the shive coast of Africa, whose shores are
washed by the Bicjht of Benin, live the Dahome SLVii\ Ashauli
races. Though maintaining separate governments they are
the same people, both in race and habits. I beiieve tlicv
have never been classed among the cannibal tribes, but their horrihle
customs fall little short of this infamous practice, for their cruellv
and blood-loving propensities are carried to the greatest extremes.
The rulership of the two kingdoms is confined to a king and caboceers ;
these latter are men of wealth rather than hereditary rank, corre-
sponding somewhat to tl^e lords of England, though their power is
greater.
Eminently a practical people, both the Dahomeans and Ashantees
are very particular alfout the royal l)lood of their rulers, as is cvi-
denced by the law of succession. Instead of succession in a direct
line, the throne passes to the brother or nephew of the deceased mon-
arch; the nephew, however, must be the son of the king's sister, and
not his brother. The reason for this is, that the people are sure that
their future king has some royal blood in his veins, whereas, accord-
ing to their belief, no one can be quite certain that the son of the
queen is also the son of the king, 'nid, as the king's wives are never
royal blood, their offspring might bt purely plebeian. Therefore, the
son of the king's sister may be chosen ; but this singular idea is
carried still further, viz.: The sister m question need not be married,
provided that the father of her child be strong, good-looking, and of
tolerable position.
8HOCKINQ SACRIFICES.
In both countries are practiced a horrible rite called the " customs,"
at which there '^ a shocking sacrifice of human victims. These rites
take place at the celebration of the Yam and Adai festivals, the
former occurring in September and the lat, ir every three weeks.
At the Yam festivals hundreds of people are slain, not because they
are objectionable malefactors, but for the sole reason that the people
delight in the sight of blood and murder and must be amused. It is
the same sentiment as actuated the Romans to provide entertainments
ff 8 Wives are never
THE WORLD ASHORE.
in which slaughter w- -^ho w j:
Yam festival fall „, , Z kt'a bi'lV' T ""'^- «'>-"' '»e
sacnfiees is increased t„ thousands Itl? ""^ ?■" ''^^ <" human
truth I cannot positively decide, that wt' """*- ""'"gh with what
palace, or a new one is built, that thT„ j ." "'''"''"' '" 'iie ti>.<''s
'r^rcroLeoir— '" "^^""^ '^^
though it is atroci„: ZZ^, o:'T'' '"'^ '"^ V- festival,
frequently, generally „„|y those a p I'lTr"'.*'""'' ''™"'- »
dered, but these offences may beT we, "^ '°'' "*»«»* "'e mur-
res eufrely „p„„ ,„e,, accusations til '"'"T "^ '■"'"• '<"• 'hey
t™K or to submit any evidence of ne.t.rr'' '"'« "'""-" "»
he slaughter is ready to begiu the vieth^s 7 "'■""""■• ^'"="
housewherethcyhavobeenpreviou,7v r« 1 ^''""''" <"" f™" a
ractingdinof thefctishtrumpe a,y. 1' ""''' """<" ">o dis-
fore the delighted crowd wh c7 ,a 11"?,' ?'^ "'" "'^"P""'''' be-
-mewhat more given to this a „'",,; r:;:'- , J"" ,^'"»»"'- -'c
hough both people sacrifice so ma vvl! V """■" '''''"'■>><•»»>
hive frightfully decreased. ^ ""™'^ """ """■>• Populations
rt is stated by tragic" tLT ""T "°'"™"-
-e not the result of a^^' e m : Xl ?" "h^"' " "^ ^^""""^"^
product of the irresponsible rlershhffrV' "'" '^^^""""^ "=«
warrants for executing those ol t t Z,! 1 ! ,"?' "''"*' '•"«C"»able
l«od-letti„gs, by dccia g ;, ,u;:n "?." '•"■ '^'"' P'""*--'
toras are messengers sent tT> /h ^ "" """^ """""'e at the cus-
WhenaDahomeC;^ ;:■'' ;,:,'l^«''f-'','-'o-h, the spirit word.
liutely despatched to'se ve h m s'str " if ''"""^' "■■" """-
»me of these may afterwarT ^ ^u "" "" "*■""■ ^'-W- As
»hweei„thesameway,rd;tl'"'' """'' "■" """g '■' ^-'t othe
of the kingdom a„7 „' test rrf"'°r" *•''"'" *''«"«»
k'"? does must be reported to t' ' ? '; ^'"'•"■'"- ""' ''■""'?
-ser Who is killed f'or lit pu ; s ^ jr::r r™^"': " "■--
48s ^ ^ ^^ umtter how trivial the
754,
SEA AND LAND.
.•■■■v'iii!
occasion may be," says Burton, *«if a white man visits him, i
has a new drum, or if he moves from one house into another
messenger is sent to tell the departed liing." If, after the execut
the king should find that he had forgotten something, away j
another messenger, like the postscript of a letter.
Captain Burton says that he never saw the most repulsive part
the sacrificial ceremonies of the Dahomeaiis, but states that thei
only one approach to cannibalism in Dahome. This is in counec
with the worship of the thunder god.
This deity is supposed to preside over the heavens and to hoh
his Lands the lightnings which are the weapons with which he
stroys those who incur his displeasure. " Thus, if a person be ki
by lightning, they consider his death due to the thunder-god's >
geance, and his body, therefore, must be execrated ; it is accordit
refused burial, and, in lieu thereof, is laid on a board where cerl
women are appointed to cut it up into small bits, these pieces of f]
the women hold in their mouths and pretend to eat, but in rea
do not.
HORRIBUE CELEBRATION OF THE GRAND CUSTOM.
The Ashantees and Dahomeans both celebrate their annual Custoi
as before stated, but the latter people have also another <« festiv?
which they call the Grand Custom, which occurs only in commemc
tion of the decease of a king, and is carried out by bis successor,
it has been the pride of each king to outvie his predecessor, by
venting some more novel or revolting mode of performing the sa(
fice, each in turn has been more bloody than the previous celebrati
To obtain victims for the frightful ceremony it is customary
reserve the criminals for a considerable length of time until th
number is quite large, or else make war upon neighboring tribes, t
sacrifice the prisoners taken.
On the great day of the Grand Custom, the king appears on a pi
form, decorated, according to Dahomean ideas, in gorgeous raim(
on which are painted the figures of various animals. Around him i
his favorit€),wives and principal officers, the latter being designated
the umbrellas they carry. Below him is an immense crowd of '.
subjects waiting for the royal favors which he distributes anio
them in the shape of cowries, rolls of cloth and strings of bea(
over which they fight and scramble, like so many hyenas over
D.
white man visits him, if he
one house into another — a
ig." If, after the execution,
otten something, away goes
f a letter.
w the most repulsive parts of
jeans, but states that there is
lome. This is in connection
• the heavens and to hold in
weapons with which he de-
Thus, if a person be killed
le to the thunder-god's ven-
! execrated ; it is accordingly
lid on a board where certain
all bits, these pieces of flesh
retend to eat, but in reality
: ORAND CUSTOM.
lebrate their annual Customs,
ave also another " festival "
I occurs only in commemoia-
ied out by his successor. As
atvie his predecessor, by iii-
ode of performing the sacri-
lan the previous celebration.
3remony it is customary to
) length of time until their
ipon neighboring tribes, and
, the king appears on a plat-
ideas, in gorgeous raiment
IS animals. Around him are
le latter being designated by
3 an immense crowd of his
svhich he distributes among
cloth and strings of heads,
:e so many hyenae over a
THE WOBLD ASHORE.
-til the „„b denes fnZtC'a"' ^>'" ""<' ""» "" i» ll::!
-re to get in abu„du„o . '^ t", "ff ^-'d W°od, wlL th^ ,
each being g„gged in order to L";?,"" »<"' ■"-"Stt f,.nvard!
k.ng for mercy, i„„hiet case he „ms be "" '"'" "■'.""S out to the
tl.ey are firmly secured by bei," la2?° '"™<'<'i'"ely rele-sed, and
2" move neither head. kLiTZ to^'T'' ':''*«'«. - tl.at they
yelUof the crowd belov ref^L t j fh"'" "' "'^'"'""-
as the king rises, a„d with h,s ownL f '•" ""» " <'»""'.like silence
helpless wretch falls into the uutst»L "" "'""'•' '"^'o""- The
the basket is rent to .ton s bvab ^^™' "' "" eager crowd
toethanithastakento w. te this r"" '"'"''*' "'"^ '■"• S
'"»l.from Umb, while aro™d each 1 ! °''' ""^ "■»» •-- ''een torn
a^assof infuriated negrool e fi'hC l""^ ^"" l---^ bo^y
over a bone. " """""S bke so many starved doo-s
Gelele, the present kin..' f„li„ • , °
foduced an improve™: °;,t'';j"'! "-""ts of hisances.ors, in-
P"» i..g the victims off th pa fo^r'™' ""'■ "'"'■'"'' "' mer 1^
"■ey feet in height, decorated afttThe,, " """'"'• '""^^ »ome
the platform, and ordered that th7j- . "" S^'esquo manner as
top of this tower. ShouM t k rroVTh" "°, """^ ^"""^
for Galele to have a successor «. I^ahome last long enourrh
».r„dueed into the GrardCu^r"^"'" variation wil. p,.ogab";;^
--^^^^^t^^::]:::^^^ ^ writer who
ho tower- the proeessio, „f b "/ FhT™" """•"" "^ ""'^ to '
each carrying a pole, to the end of th- J ^^""' " """■''<"• of men,
a ter the,« marched anothe: Ih ,„ ,^'"; „"" tf " ""'"=" '"* ' »""
«l'";.ggoat tied up in a flexib e'ba'ker ""t """"'"" •"'^ ''-■"i
«;- in -oeessi„n:::\t;": :/;;^;/J''» '-er and received the
"' *--» »<'- s,ace w/,ef;:trc^ z i" ^^^ of^wirr
756
SEA AND LAND.
the edge of a hole, attended by the executioners. The fowls wer
first flung from the top of the tower, still attached to the poles; aiK
it seemed to be requisite that every creature which was then sacri
ficed should be tied in some extraordinary manner. As soon as the
CELEBRATING THE GRAND CUSTOM IN DAHOME.
:";:.^i||ii,,i [j
touched the cround. they were seized, drasrwed to the block, and
their heads chopped off, so that the blood might be poured into the
hole. The goats were thrown down after the fowls, .the bull afterthe
IN DAUOME.
g
THE WORLD ASHORE.
royal umbren,., surmounted wfth^I'rd '"'="' ,?'''^'' """'' "'
and around hira are his wive, and t ? ' ™'''™ "^ "-oyalty,
cioth.=„vered tower, from which aC"™-.- '" ""= '""'^^ *«« th"^
whHe another is being carried t„ hi Ce "bJ ""' J""' I'-" -""-lod.
ccutToners standing by the binct ' ,"• ^"'"w >« one of the ct-
- the mob of infuSat^d siv,::,' ' ''"'^""« '" '™»' «' 'he tower
,™-if'S:t^llt:ir-V''^ -"'' -"'»-' '--
by the drummer who stands behind h„. "" ". "'""'' '"""'' ■""! beaten
nersis displayed behind the banS and .^>Tu°' """''"8'^ l-""-
Amazons. In front are several fi i. ^ '^"^ ""^ " ^"^y »' «™ed
with the conical cap, their bodTeLttrr,"' ''"'■ '^""^ »<'<'">«''
table sicull in their hands. The hou'r ^ .-^ ? ""' ""^ "■' '"*^'-
tho spirit of the deceased king I tn ontf ,eft ""''"«' "" '""^
The ^„<„„„, „, femairso'S"orD°r-
for. fonnd no where else in the world T h , ' """"''""^ » '"»'"»-
ago they were common in the tralTr "' '"■*'>'• *'«'°gl' "ges"
Afric , and in South AmelBrtr"''.'''? ^ ''''^'^ "' Central
have always been fierce Tlfes 11^ t ""^ ^'"'"'" """'^-^
World's Wonders " i„ „„ ".f ' ^ '"'™ described them in " The
*o„g. discipiin::^, %h .° ^trrstCh" "-' "™"""^'^ -«' «
The kin trnf no K f ^"'^^ as m Dahome.
o'wome:Vv:fhts:n7sr::TL:r^'"^r7'"°"''»-^-«-'r
«"<! also, .. our mothers," 1th ""r'^ ""^ " ^ng's wives,"
- one possesses at -fonr^Cr^htfthr t^^^^^^^^^^
.of ::;:f,t*[c:d1nTT "'r "" ''»'— "«'-"-. th. -«.»-
" were, for the priva^tTotrb r"""" "• ''^^"=- th/msel™ ^a
! I .
758
8EA AND LAND.
families of his subjects, he having the choice of them when they ai
rive at marriageable age ; and the once married soldiers are wome
who have been detected in infidelity, and are enlisted instead of ex(
cuted, or wives who are too vixenish toward their husbands, and s
are appropriately drafted into the army, where their combative dii
positions may find a more legitimate object.
In order to increase their bloodthirsty spirit, and inspire a feelin
of emulation, those who have killed an enemy are allowed to exhibi
a symbol of their prowess. They remove the scalp, and preserve i
for exhibition on all reviews and grand occasions. They have als
another decoration, equivalent to the Victoria Cross of England
namely, a cowrie shell fastened to the butt of the musket. After th
battle is over, the victorious amazon smears part of the rifle but
with the blood of the fallen enemy, and just before it dries spread
another layer. This is do\ie until a thick, soft paste is formed, int
which the cowrie is pressed. The musket is then laid in the sun, ani
when properly dry the shell is firmly glued to the weapon.
The possession of this trophy is eagerly coveted by the amazons
and after a battle, those who have not slain an enemy with their owi
hand are half-maddened with envious jealousy when they see the!
more successful sisters assuming the coveted decoration. One cowrii
is allowed for each dead man, and some of the boldest and fiercest o
the amazons have their musket butts completely covered with cowriei
arranged in circles, stars, and similar patiex'ns.
How recklessly these amazons can fight is evident from their per
formances at a review. In this part of the country the simpli
fortifications are made of the acacia bushes, which are furnishec
with thorns of great length and sharpness, and are indeed formi
dable obstacles. At a review witnessed by Mr. Duncan, model forts
were constructed of these thorns, which were heaped up into walls ol
eome sixty or seventy feet in thickness and eight in height. It maj
well be imagined that to cross such ramparts as these would be no
easy task, even to European soldiers, whose feet are defended by
thick'Soled boots, and that to a barefooted r,oldiery they must be
simply impregnable. Within the forts were built strong pens seven
feet in height, inside of which were cooped up a vast number of male
and female slaves belonarinsr to the king.
The review began by the amazons forming, with shouldered arms,
about two hundred feet in front of the strong fort, and waiting for
ng, with shouldered arms,
}rong fort, and waiting for
THE WORLD ASHORE.
759
their ba.-o feet, dashed ov it tael, T 7"'" ""'"•'°»» ■•=-""«'
the king in triumph, load ^ ; "^ ,h„:"tl> ,'""'' '■'"' '•''""^^ *"
hibiting also the sealps of wr„" l"b^';,:;l|; "r"'' ^'"y-- »"<> o-
but who were conventionallvsunnl! I f t " P'"™<^ hattles,
oceasioa. Sorapid Jt^^Ttt^^^'f^'' "","'■' "-«"'
had elapsed after the word of comm.! 1 !: '"""^'^^ " """"'o
The wo^eu of „„,t acknowMged cLage'are gathered iuto the
AN AMAZON REVIEW.
age and success of ^fh: J^""" """^ P"'"™ with great cour-
^°o„ tCz;:f:TJ::;!:' """' "- ^'^'"'""' '"- » -'^le v„iiey
<?!„„. «, , """" """»«« O'' THE OONQO PEOPLE.
a4 ".^^t^-"^"^ ' explorations in Africa, and particularlv his iour,™
to tirp'*""™"" ''""^""gol^nd.g'-eat attention has icen attracted
"■II
I.. ""
760
SEA AND LAND.
now being made to resolve this territory into an independent state,
which is so far successful that it is already recognized by the groat
powers, and a system of extensive internal improvement is expected
to begin very soon, while a large immigration is already pouring in.
There is little doubt that the Congo possesses many wonderful
natural advantages, and that it will speedily develop into a grand
country of vast commercial advantage; but these advancemenrs can
only be hoped for through the exertions of white immigrants, for the
native population, large as it is, is one of the least progressive, most
ignorant and superstitious people on earth. In some particulars
they resemble the Ashantees and Dahomeans, and in all things are no
more intelligent. Their religion is polytheism, but so imperfect that
practically it is fetishism.
The fetish priests of Congo possess greater power than the kintr,
and their rule is antagonistic to the last degree, especially that of the
chief, who is called Chitombe, and ranks as a god. He is maintained
in luxury by annual contributions of the first fruits of the harvest,
which are given with great ceremony.
A sacred fire burns constantly in his house, and the embers are
sold at enormous prices to the people, who believe that they possess
marvelous medicinal virtues. Once each year he visits all the sub-
ordinate priests, during ^hich time every wife and husband must
separate, under pain of death. This singular law is the product of a
belief that children begotteli during the tour of the Chitombe become
messengers of evil, very devils indeed.
the Chitombe is regarded as being so holy that he is not allowed to
die a natural death, since such an event would immediately precipitate
the destruction of the world. Consequently, so soon as he is seized
with a serious illness, the Chitombe elect calls at the holy residence
and saves the universe from destruction by knocking the sick chief's
brains out with a club, or kills him by strangling, as the Chitombe
may prefer.
Next to the Chitombe is a priest called Nghomho, who preserves his
superiority by reversing his position whenever he walks. To walk
erect like other men would make him their equal, so he always walks
on his hands, with his feet in the air, by which astonishing work of
godliness he impresses the laity with his supernatural endowments,
k^onss of the lower priests are rain-makers, who perform the duties of
their important office by scraping up the earth iuto little mounds, in
THE WORLD ASHORE.
the center of which they pkoo for u '^^^
t once mounts to the sky and tun tl""' "^ ^'^^ "'""°^'s which
the pent-up waters of heaven i '^^"^'-^^^'k. which Jets , /
fall as the priests are pa <rf"*,i^'r'"'"''^ - '"ueh ra' i
«n.ong them, either. D „' ,' ' '''"^^'^ ''^^'•^tem i. not "n Z
-dtohethehestrain-m:k :; i::^^^^^^^^ «"^ «">ino.s 1^ J^
marks of a consecrated priestho'od"''^"^^'-^ supposed to hear the
Ane priests have, as um.ni
godly power „ the drinking of ,„i" • ^f"" "'""""■■ tost to p ovo
""" "' » '•-"'-hot iron ,0 t,,: ski^ T • "'' '•'"■'^' '» "'« «l> -licl
P «„„s„ec„,od of cri„e,,. u'l^.^uT T'"" '""' '"■« «l>p'i d ,o
"^»y .re guilty. I, aperson'd ;f '" "" °'™"'« "'"■'■»'. or „ ,t
effect of course he is guilty "i/t "°"'"' ""^ <""» f''"™ Ihc
r'" ^""'y- B"' 'he Coni 1,1 r.""" ''""'^' "^e "could
tte United States, e„sily defft h ', ^^^ ""' '^'""^'■■d fibos of
J^P-sn^ to those „ho'appiy?hot: T "'^ "- P-^-nt^Va
'""' ''"• "•■"•» i' he i^ weilthy o, oulh to t "r" """" """^ ''» P""'
The wives in Congo a,e tnk? m ' """"" "-^ oonoo
-vorely beaten wi!h le , ITv (• """ ""' '^^'^'P' ""'"•ey are
«me„ do not resent this treatZt "T^T ""'"''° '^^ip. "^Ti ^
»ou..dly flogged occasional rrehinrlV"!'"''' "»'''' » ''"'"a., is
her. and feels offended act Xl t T^' ^'i'' '"'^•«'"'"» "esleoting
taking any woman for his wife wh'fb. '^'"^ '"'^ «''« P^ver of
*^goes to the royal haren^Wi,',^:dir^^^^^^^^^ no,, ard, when
The people „f Congo are-nroh' M '"^""""^ly executed.
cl,mate-a very indolent and Cht j^ "" ''°"°""' »' "'" enervating
«° do all the work, while the It lif T' "■' '"""'" "-eing mad^
P;Pe« and drink their pain, wine "vlrtb ''""'' "'"' ™"''e "■eir
">o»gh not so well as the Bubo tribe 5 v'^ """"' --eraarkably well,
aro merely huts of the sin,,ri „ ^'""""''' ^"- Their houses
ever the™, and twigs ire be r^T'""' " '*" P"^'' "'"' '"^ot
"■-y of walls, are all that a Co to ^fn'" " "'■"'"-""* ^-"ion ly
*ttn,gisassi™p,eashislod3.? ""'I ^" •'" " ""»•'». His
•"■ -oiddle, hein^ all ,,,.,» u'''."'"'"^; ° P'e™ of native cloth, tied r„„„d
i«on,e fnrs ^o^n by the k ^glntt h" "iV''' ""P'" '='»"'- «"d
Imost naked pipuJe ^ "" '"'™ '""' " ""^ strong effect
f
handi
)C"I
on
762
SUA AND LAND.
Accorc n, traditional history, Congo was In old times one of tlie
Afl'toilQ kiagd*. Tis. Twice it rose t>o tills eminence, and botii times
by the energy of a woman, who, in «pif« of the low opinion in which
#o«nen are held, contrived to ascend the throne.
Sonaevhere about 1520 — it is impossible in such history to obtii;ri
pr«c»ton of (Jutes — a greaf chief, named Zimbo, swept over a largo
pari (if A r'ica, taking every countr' to which ho came, and estab-
lishing his OH II dominion in it. Among other kingdoms, Congo was
taken by him, and rendered tributary, and so powerful did he at last
become, that his army outgrew his territory, and he had the audacity
to send a division to ravage Abyssinia and Mozani»)ique. The division
reached the eastern sea in safety, but the army there met the Portu-
guese, who routed Ihem with great loss. Messengers conveyed the
tidings to Zimbo, who put himself at the head of his remaining
troops, went against the Portuguese, beat them, killed their general^
and carried off a great number of prisoners, with whose skulls he
paved the ground in front of his house.
^^^^^■^^^HsiMH
iffwHI
■n
■
""-'^LMoia.
CHAPTER XL.
THE DYAKS OF BORNEO.
jSHOUGH Africa is peopled almost exclusively by wild and
savage tribes, especially all the central portion, and while
nearly every form of superstition and bestiality is practiced
in that great division of the earth, yet we find in other parts
of the globe uncivilized races distinct from the Africans in character,
color, rftlgion, habits and all that goes to make up the attributes of
humanity. This fact itself is remarkable only when we consider
the races of man and the line of separation between thi. o«.Viig<? and
the civilized ; or, rather, the evolutions of man socially u^d uui J(y.
In other words, assuming that all races had a common ongin, and
that shades of skin are due to climatic influence, it apparently ought
to follow Ibat, in the absence of civilizing means, a similiarity of
character w\ Id be manifest in races occupying similar climates, or
identical lir;<»8 '. ' h tmio. So far from this being true, the difference*
are so great ? ft b<-T .jxhibit all the evidences of varied origin. Be-
tween the Fud^i^u of the exi* me south and the Esquimftux of the
ti
*H« ^O TO ASHORE.
Artie, though tl,.re be an iUenti,, I elio^at M • ^^^
h b,t such „,„,.kecl „ec„li.ritie, aa "d 1" "™"' "'"' ^«' "^o ox-
pnncpl™ l,„|d by ethnographer/ ,h„. ^ '."''P""'""^- »' '«""• the
g.™cer d.iruenee between »nytZZT,u ^'' "™ "-'"" """S"'^ «
<^';nlnl Africans and the ZJyZofnl 'i°" '"'''"' ''«'"«'«'■ tbo
"Me for their savagery, br!".! tv ^ "^ ^'"' '"'"'" "" "^">a.k-
'.-. polyg„„y. tre^cht/ d twdlT'ir^'."''""''''™' '^'^»-
"■""d, .ro :a,„re than civilij TZJ ?'.^>'"'"' »" ">" other
concerned, for they are hosnrt ,hl! """'' """■»' obaraoter i.
other people, steadLt in frSb!' ^^fP""'".'-. ''onest above a,
»-nts, for they have no deaofl' C ""'"'"' ''"="'""» -"«'
monogamies who are devoted .„ 1 ,' """" ^'""'•' '" slav .,v
«>most unknown among them Tbl^VT"''''' ^'"^ '-J»- i
'" W« natural life, „he°„ unirjue^ ed by thl M? '"'""« *" ""= »^'^
lopers who so corrupted him «t 1 ^ *''''''^' "'"' other inter.
I'letely changed f^of:ttZ\l'"lT' """ ''" ""'"^ ^^ --
".oit of no excess, as ,vi„ be swCplairef """"" '""' ""PP^"
^- ther:t:rp7o';^tIt^::::^^^ --'"»" - -^ven
a"d European,. When the llXafet w "^'' •'"™''^'^' '^>''"'»«>
found tl,e Dyaks not „„Iy peaceahL ^ '""' "" ""= ''=l«"<>, th,y
- their nature that the newrcomer °w:lT"*rr' *••" "" '™P!'«''le
k.ndnes.. These first visitors h'Lv "'"^ ""'' *^'»'-)' «""* "f
•'■ade their quarters in the une ' ^n r'-' """ "'"'*''■ "'"> "ot only
Bornean coast, where f„^. ""?P'<"^»^ ""^"^ »«i indentations of the
""en pi^cy, at length l^mr^exTe':'; *^ "'"""■'" -'«' ^-
'urned their hands To he Znllvn^^^u, ''"''"'•''"'"• ""> Malays
trading, which they practiced fom'^"""" °^'=''P'"'"" "' ^W
oat the island. ^P'»°"'^^''/or n>«ny years, unmolested, through-
InsinuaHncy f k«^„-i_. . ,
«-anns, sw;rd;::i;:::':::,'^;X^h':''M r "^ p™'*-*- »'
t'.'". wa„ .nd then pr„«ted ^e^; t^X^ ^-'0:^
■('■ ''I
fill
b\:H§
iTy^',.
764
SEA AND LAND.
taken by either side, by which means they were enabled to
away thousands of the poor Borneaiis annually.
THE HEAD HUNTERS OF BORNEO.
Previous to the coming of the Malays, it is asserted by tra'
who have visited the island, and also by Sir James Brooks, th«
ernor of the British Commercial possession of North Borne
many years, that war between the Dyak tribes was almost unkr
but that the slave trade developeu by the Malays led, not only
cessant internecine wars, but also created a disposition in the Dy
murder, which he never before displayed. He was taught to b(
that bravery was the greatest quality of the human heart, and tl
be brave it was necessary to incite war, fight desperately, and
prisoners to be sold into slavery. This propensity, thus create(
stimulated, grew until a Dyak was not considered eligible for n
mony until he had a humkn head dangling from his waistbai
prove his valor. As a man was appreciated by the number of I
he had taken, head-hunting soon became a rage among the male
ulation. The Malays further taught the simple-minded Dyaks
famine, plague or disease, was caused by some offended god
would soon bring them plenty, or abate the disease if he be pre
ated by an offering of heads.
This practice of head-hunting was at one time so common, sc
Stanford Eaffles informs us, that the depopulation of the island
seriously threatened. Every hut became fairly festooned with blea
skulls and no Dyak had the least standing among his people who
not these ghastly proofs of his valor hung to his waist or suspei
before his door.
. RELIGIOUS SACRIFICES.
The Kyans come the nearest to having a religious belief, or, rat
system of formulated superstitions, of all the Dyaks. The Ba
Kyans believe in a future existence, and their heaven and hell an
vided into various compartments for the proper accommodatioi
all according to the circumstances under which they die. They
much attention to the carving of wooden images and charms, tc
of which more or less meaning is attached; still, their ideas c
Supi-eme Being and a future state are very vague, and they have
religious rites or outward observances.
^he Trings have a well-dofiacd belief in a tribal heaven, and a p
gatory of toiling and enduring which mr.st be passed through bef
AND.
IS they were enabled to carry
annually.
OF BORNEO.
ays, it is asserted by travelers
by Sir James Brooks, the gov-
ssession of North Borneo for
ik tribes was almost unknown,
the Malays led, not only to in-
ed a disposition in the Dyak to
ed. He was taught to believe
f the human heart, and that to
ar, fight desperately, and take
3 propensity, thus created and
t considered eligible for matri-
ngling from his waistband to
liated by the number of heads
le a rage among the male pop-
the simple-minded Dyaka that
I by some offended god who
te the disease if he be propiti-
t one time so common, so Sir
epopulation of the island was
fairly festooned with bleached
ng among his people who had
mg to his waist or suspended
FICE8.
; a religious belief, or, rather,
all the Dyaks. The Baram
their heaven and. hell are di-
be proper accommodation of
ir which they die. They pay
len images and charms, to all
iched ; still, their ideas of a
ery vague, and they have no
in a tribal heaven, and a pur-
r.st be passed through before
THE WORLD ASHORE.
the heaven can be reached. Yet the T • ^^^
'' ft I
f •
A DYAK VILLAGE.
Which the Tvhyrr. „,.„ „ ,
P"t to death by torture, r
^°y« of the tribe. This
'"•e, or by flesh
species of
ti' ^,^ ""^''^ ^«'-ty sluve debt
ds inflicted bv th
WOUIl
sava,
ors were
« men iuid
^gery was unknown before
766
SEA AND LAND.
the Malays visited the island, aud must therefore be regarded as one
of the results of their influence.
The houses of the Kyans are, in general, very similar to the long-
houses of the Sea Dyaks, each of which accommodates a number of
families, but very often a number of these long-houses are grouped
together in regular village style.
THE MORALS OF THE HILL DYAKS.
The Sea Dyaks are very like the Kyans in habits and disposition ;
both are warriors by preference, and have been noted for their head-
taking propensities, and other savage customs. They also live alike,
in long houses, built on posts, ten, and sometimes fifteen feet above
the ground. Each house is composed of many rooms, and each room
is occupied by a family. For furniture they are content with a mat
to lie upon, and the fire they warm and cook by is built on a pile of
baked clay which lies in the center of the room. Even now, skulls,
blacked by smoke and begrimed by dirt, may be seen hanging over
the doors of the Sea Dyaks' houses, but the custom of head-taking
has about become obsolete.
The Hill Dyaks more nearly retain their primitive manners than
any others of the Bornean tribes. Living remote from the coast, in
the mountainous regions of the island, they escaped the influence of
the Malays, and are to-day nearly what they were before the slave
traffic was inaugurated ; hence, a description of their present habits
will represent the aborigines, or, at least, the Dyaks in their original
simplicity. To W. T. Hornaday, author of ♦♦ Two Years in'the
Jungles," I am indebted for most of the information here given of
the Hill Dyaks.
The people of this tribe are morally the most highly developed
of any in the island of Borneo, if not in the whole archipelago,
which, in view of the extent of the influence Hindooism formerly ex-
erted over them, is all the more surprising. Although they are, as
a tribe, wholly without religion or any of its restraining influences,
their moral principles would put to the blush the children of Israel in
their best days.
To the other virtues of the Dyak must be added that of strict
honesty and profound respect for the rights of property. Whether
they steal from each other I cannot say ; I suppose they do some-
times, althouorh it must he vprv sAlHorp Tf ia nr^au;,,^},, -o^^-^^p^
b«w«Jver, th^t the^ never pilfer from Europeans, por ^ycQ Malay?
be regarded as one
por ^yeii Ilijalay?
TOB WORLD ASHORE.
.haj practice with f.l.e Strand m/'''''^'"" "' '"' ""-"-and
Sf-angcl^ enough, some Tf the H:?rrV'' ''''' "'■■«■••
custom which they have clearly adopted f.^^t' t"™ ''"'" "^"-J. »
i»hed ,„ Western Borneo several c^,,? " "'*' "'"'''•"^ "ho Sour-
peop e of ,hi, ,,.,^ .^ Sarawak Crlrr T ' "^"^^ «" "•.«
■ng those „ho live on the Sadont Thf ST''" T"^*'""' ^'^Pt-
thoir dead, and bury with them vTrion!! , , "5 ^''"- »•""''' h-'y
ceased, especially his betel box wkhT T "<" ^"^""^'"^ "> «■« "e^
some old clothes of „o value a^dnt "f '<"»■»» (Wack pepper)
then divided equally among his hildt^''^,^ 'P""^" His'lmV ,'
or agamst either sex. ° '* children, without discrimination for
f"r'":}'''^''^^^^'^^"'o^y^^^^ future state and ,
believe the good Dyaks go to a nit. ; . """""O »'""<'»• They
» ere they are happy. »d tha the 'i^^'/ ''' """'• "»"'"' -S^''^™!
called Saiyan. where they are Ih! "^ ^" '» »"»"'er place, alsj
t.".es their ancestors taklth: .nfr/d ^ T ""''-e that :ome!
reason, like the Hindoos from Xm ,h.t"' """' ^'""■> '<>■• «'"<=1>
orwood-devr(:t:r:r;ra;n^^^^^
^»ch of their survivors as ha e off 'de^ ' Z"""'" °" """" "' Plagie
«» 'ehgious ceremonies or ohLrfrfX, h ?'"''"' "■"■"• ^hey hwe
of a God who control, the dest „ e^f m't'"' ""' '"^ """-I'"''''
Marriage among the lUU Zl ■ "' ^""^ "' ''^■
wife is honored for all tha Ketrl""' ° """""' ''»"'' l"" ""e
sometimes it is effected by he mer? k'^ " """ '''"''^' "-e same;
t'"i"g of a fowl between then! Tr th ''"'. "^" "' '"■'''«"'^' <»• h th^
«'W« is it answers the puZrfdirM^ "'■■''" ^^«'P>o
.■»a"'age is invariably made and ,h.^^^ '' f "'"'"'' """""" "' "-e
■a g.eat hura.„„y. save nt, tl 1^/" ^ """" "'"" '"S'""'^
""nkisnot known to them ^hTv ,/""''• ,^- "■« o-'^e of strong
"'ter people would if the,™ werf n "'Tu"'' ^'m»ly. as every
«»»e of death the p.-ope, ty is eZL H Z. ""'"^ "' '"'"xieants. I„
«« regard to sex I so' If I ZT^l'f!'!'^''' """"g ">e children, with-
;:»^j»teiypasses to her.;;i;h;u";re:ii!::^°":/i'';v'''"''r
executors J she
ii
debts aua alwa^^s mapages to j,a^ theroi
768
SEA AXD LAI^D.
Says Hornaday : «« Once more I assert, with the certainty of b(
disbelieved, that the Dyaks actually do not steal. I have an acc(
of one who did once steal some gutta from a companion, but h
dead now — hanged, 'in the usual manner.'
'* Their most wonderful trait, however, is their faithfulness in {
DYAK GIRLS AND HOUSE.
ing their debts. If the people of the village want goods, a trad
will give them his whole cargo, if he can get them to accept it, in e
change for jungle produce to be collected. The day for full settlemei
is iiaraed by the head man, and by that day the debts are all piii(
What a glorious country for an honest merchant to start business in
D.
t, with the certainty of being
lot steal. I have an account
from a companion, but he is
er.'
•, is their faithf uhiess in pay-
SE.
illage want goods, a trader
:et them to accept it, in ex-
rhe day for full settlement
day the debts are all paid.
rchant to start business in!
THE WORLD ASHORE.
"""' ''"!' thus far come in ccuac with /h '"^ ""-" '" "'<-■ I'ooi.lo
"Z- ^'""■=»^' Malay- or Europ!aL i """"'' «'"'"• Hi'Hi"o»; Jai,.!
all the vico», a,>d but very fewTf h T"^" '""'""" """'^'b a^aui I
toucbea then, but ao tj^^ '^y^:;'^^'"^ «- <^'m.lJZ
hrough the fire uu.cathed. 'Zt " ?!""'" ^°"""' ''avo g.u.e
■dolatryaud abominable reli<riou, 7 r P' ^'™ f'""' the gr„v5 ,1
<«« avanee „, the Chines: 'he:r;r; "' ""= ""'"-^i"" '-
the Mabys and the bmndy-andrdaL; of .t? P '' ''^«-'""'— f
The Dyaljs, as may be «uni,n.„ . "^ ^"'"Peajis."
and i.sa„itv is so ra,^ ZZ^Z T'T '" '"' '"^ *---,
formity of person is almost uuknol ! Tf" """" """^ » «»»»; 'Ic
w™.»n of America are unheard o I .'I^,''"^'--- - ""-.".»„ to
Horiiaday concludes hi« .1.. '^.''"'""8 "'C Dyaks.
••Thus e^,ds o:rtie^t::r:,V'';;;^3'aks.„sf„„„„,.
what does it teach us' In H ^ **'" "'"^ Sea Dyaks ind
»" ".; cardinal virLs ,' h Ta t^ .l""''™ "' -"- -t
""niters, the Christian graces withou[chr f^'""' """"'"■^ "'"'<»"
""Sabbaths, pray no prayers, b„M n^ ^^ ^°-''"'- ^'^''^ ''-P
aad nobody, and acknowledge no W.herT, •'""'' "t' '""'^''" """"4
he opmion on one hand, and th! ? "'"" ""'" ""« ^ar „f pul,!
other. ""' '""' 'i" Sarawak govennnent court on the
"«..ly all of them. Thanks to h 'stl „," '""""' ''"'«'" ^"PPl-°
velopcd one-tenth of ^he diseases vl.t^h f"""^' '"= ''"^ ""' <ie.
c;;v. i^ed people a burden, ffls ch M e 1! """"= "■" ''™» "^
I'Phtheria, croup, or whoop^ co^l norV"","'™ '"'""^^ '"™'.
l.eco„,„^,^,.„,_^r^, cough nor does he or his wife have
for the rascally Chinam ,n, who yearra"; '^''Tf '•"' ""^ S""'- But
fron, the palm tree, and who even n " ??*" '"'" •" '"»''» '"ddy
-ight to-day be witLut the „,ea o7 »'"''!' '"''" ""'' »'™ck. he
w.th nearly all sava^aes who dr nt f ? "^ '''■""'^- ^» '» ""e case
gift of civilization "" '"t^icat.ng liquors, this vice is the
" " 17'""'^' '-"- -y^^-'y- ""<' chanty, the Dyaks are not
770
SEA AND LAM).
outranked by any people living, »o far as I know, and their morals
are as much superior to ours as our intelligence is beyond theirs. If
happiness is the goal of human existence, they are much nearer it
than we. In this instance, at least, the highest civilization has not
evolved the most perfect state of society, and to this extent the fun-
damenial theories of theology, of sociology, and human evolution are
utterly at fault. Borneo is no field for the missionary, for no religion
can give the Dyaks aught that will benefit him, or increa^^o the bal-
ance of his happiness in the least,"
THE HORRIBLE BATTA8 OF SUMATRA.
While the contrast between the natives of Equatorial Africa and
the Dyaks of Borneo is wonderfully great, our tiurprise is doubly iiv
creased when we come to compare the Dyaks with the Battas of
Sumatra. The comparison lies in the identity of climate, surround-
ings and topography, the equator passing through the center of both
Sumatra and Borneo, whiPe both are apparently of common orif'iii
and alike subject to Malayan influence ; yet in contrasting the Dyaks
with the Battas we are struck with the almost marvelous differences
in character which they present. As the Dyaks are noted for their
good qualities so are the Battas distinguished for their turpitude ; the
latter have been acquainted with civilization for hundreds of years,
but these influences have seemingly operated to multiply their crimes
and increase their savagery, until we may safely assert that of all the
tribes and races of the earth the Battas are the most barbarous.
The Battas occupy the northern half of Sumatra .-'nd carry on a
considerable commerce with the Chinese and people of the Malay
peninsula ; but this intercourse has not served to in the least destroy
• their aged customs and atrocious habits. They learned to take heads.
like the Dyaks, but never followed the practice persistently, perhaps
for the reason that they prefer the bodies of prisoners, or dead peo-
ple generally, to trophies such as tiie Dyaks were content with.
In other words, the Battas are cannibals whose propensities lead
them to practice this horrid feature of savagery in its most repulsive
form.
THE GOVERNMENT OF THE BATTAS.
When Sir Stanford Eaffles arrived on the island as ffovernor of
Bencoolen, a division of Sumatra, he found the wreck of a great em-
pire scarcely known to Europeans. He was astounded to find the
Battas a fairly governed race, having u written language which very
■ THE WORLD ASHORE.
■ few of them could not write Th.v t ^ j 7?1
I '<'.™'"''ted law8. though noi a codf and f l^"'''"'™ «»»™blie, and
I "' »"^'*'"™. Christianity and pa^a^i f °' h .,. " "" " ""»"'<'
■ describe. ' J'-'oanism, and therefore difficult to
■ Though the Battas are excell.nt • ■
I ^'^'"^ ■"■ ""undauce of fruits rn^veS''""? ""^ "'^■■'- -""-1
I g«me, yet they are eonflr^ed canSs .'en^ "''°?'" """ '"'O
I •"■»""• body more than any other „rZ I ,'.'"»'""g the flesh of a
I produce. So great is their^eed for ht "b" h' ""7 "'""™"°" -"
I "^.r ^■•-•""d with the view of provX v ^ """"^ "" ""^'^
I ,''°':'-"' *««t»- Not only do they eat «n trf "' '° S'""''' "•«"•
I the,r own people are sacrificed, when I.^Ih""'!*'"''"' '» «'' "-"t
I »"d thus the supply of hnnian melt h ut 'if "'"" '"''''''' "''•""'^^'
I Batta village. ' "" """""7 qu'te plentiful in everj^
oldenTmritroSairr ^ "^'"^ ^' ^"P- ">- in ,
a luxury which only those oh' hoS 'TT "' "" «""- -
I afford; but the common peonllwerfr/ u'lf'"' ^ '™"'"' »"« ,
I regaling their appetites on thk tri! "'"'"^ "'""O"' »«""» for
aries of the govlment and Ze rrir"'- • ""'"''^ '"^ ^"-"o-'
oners and culprits, the poor had occas „ 'al 7 V"''T "'"'"' "« P"^
d,ed or became too old for furth^ v" ^It' ""? 'f^'' P'"-"'
>"« fact," says Sir Stanford, " that whTnit I "• *''"'-'' "'""''"''-
their parents, the greedy chi Wren to^.M "''^'^'"''<''^'> to sacrifice
the hands to the bmnch^of a tree Td t T'""^u ""' •"" P'-P'' "-y
feast, a circle was formed round the s' ".*>' *''"' '"'^"''^ to the
making began. As thrcl™ da ced r^H l'"''^^ ^'I "«' -«'-r-
cy out from time to time, .Gertie f^f'" '"""^ ""^^ -""W
This sacrifice nearly alway took 1^ I '^ "P"' ""^ " »"" '"" !'
sometimes it occurredTft r a snmt'o?'",."" 'i""^^ "'P''"^'''' """■g''
Battas are very fond of but onTl """ P-'PP'". "Wch the
That this pec'lliarly hLw fel^J 'f '" '" Tf^ ""'^ ">» M"'"^-"
to quite recent times, we hive ,h!f """"jl'al.sm prevailed down
kave visited the Bat Is and Zd^,rr°^ "'"^ """>°"'i^« "ho
toms. A certain writer who t"™''"'"'"'''^ "'"■ *''«^ ™«-
thatinlSlTuoTess hlonohf". r?."""' '■" ^"'"'"'■^ """"lated
i« a oompamtive ly smaU di „.i r "'" P'"P'« '™^'' «»» --ifioed
Wmbynatives ^ ^"'""'"•'P"^'^ «'»".«'' w<^^o brought to
" 1
772
SEA AND LAND.
OTHER 8A0RIFI0E8 FOB PURPOSES OF CANNIBALISM.
The great traveler, Marco Polo, who visited Sumatra in the
teenth century, describing the Battas, says : ♦' Whenever an ind
'.V/>f-yy^
ual was stricken with sickness, his relatives immediately inquiied
the priests or magicians whether he would recover; if the answer w
IE8 OF 0ANNIBALI8M.
visited yumatra in the thir-
uys: "Whenever an individ-
««8 WOftLD ASttORK.
m
)8 immediately inquired of
recover; if the answer was
in the negative the patient was nf «.
devoured, even to the vo^^ZlTtl^r"-'^"* '" "'""" """
wa. to p,.eve„t the genfrntio, Tflt,^:;. ?'";""'^ "'"'=-''.
allowed to infest it, would, l,y ,„„„:„„ 7/ '°''^' '»''"'^''. 'f
tie dead." The „l„u,-di,; of ," 70 "=„' f i "'" """"■""■» -"'»'
the fact that stranger were e„ o , T h """""<"'»I i" the fueo of
The evidence of^„,„ibl,; .fa „ '""" '"'""""' ■"""vc.
alone confined to the ,taten,e 1 UI TT« ''' "'" ''"«»'• '» "»'
the British Government, b,r„r'\,^,^;r' """ ""'"-• »'
missionaries Ward, Burton, Jack, and Z .'' """"'"'"' *>>■ "■«
resided and preached among tiem Th! ?'";•"'" '"'' " '"'« '""«
people, which was once ver? conrmo,, t ^u "" "^ *'"=''«"'"S "W
cause the tastes of the peopVl™";-,'"",''?" -"""'I'm-d, „ol he-
execution of later laws has served,, 1^""''' iT """'•"'^ ''-'"'« ">»
of human bodies that it is no lon«, , ^'"^^ ^ """'"""' "'« ^^I'Ply
therefore very tough pe„prfo"f!'T"'"-'''" '''" "" <"''• »"d
on so-called stall-fed victD " "'""• ^"""^ ™'V »-'w feast
enit^rtiz^artrr rr- '»"»" "^^ '-• ^^^-^
the end that revenge for the '"ott^tl T, n1 ^""^ '''°" "* -'^"- *«
among whom the crime w .s p^r^ Id T ! ™^"^^'' '^ ">» P^P'"
treason to the king, notorious Jm, , "'""^ "'' = ■"»'der,
last named offence" s dtubtle L hi j :(; ""t,:^^''"'^^ "■««• This
i» seriously injured, or bu'lZyln'^ ','" ?' '" "'''"'» ""^ "•<''™
ers. taken in warlwhe" itT ^"V''^° "''''""'d 'hat all prison-
dirtrict-shall be eaten Indi":-"? "J'' "" P^^P'" "' ""'>">er
left on the field of batt"; or the b '^- "':' '" "'" ""> "^"^ •'"'"es
may be buried. ' ""^ ''"''"'^ "^ ""^ «' 'he enemy that
i-dges patently ^^^uZiZ^^ZtT ''T^ ^"^^^
order the accused released or n,.,., ,' "" "'"""l"'!"" either
">g the verdict of theToutt ,.e 7 T " ''""'■ ^""^ """"""O"
...d drink together a c^n of tdJ • *" .''""" "P '"'"'« ^^^ "«"»•
confirming the senteleCsed ""' "'"" ""' '^ ^^"-"-t '»
dearaT/etHl'tt'effLt ''•' "''?"' '" ™"^ '"^ -"'-- "f
and partake oiThefeasf The"'"'. '".""'"'' "' "" ""« "PP-'
"nd bound to a stake with hirbT'"''' " ""' '"""«'" '""'-d
-take, with his hands extended. The husband or
774
SKA AM) LAND.
party most aggrieved hy the offense then vproachcs the victim and
havng the privilege of first ohoici^ usually cuts off his ears Th;
next degree of relation takes the second choice, and so on. ea'h re,
ative cutting the portion he may select from the condemned Afte
the relatives have thus maimed and most cruellv cut nnfho .
It IS generally cu.toniary to devour the body of a eulnrit on th.
/eJh^trr; ?r;;i;t;T~d'::,:''' iiT- *: ^■■"' "-
hibitpd r1.,.Mn« f k u J, 'f ♦ i^'^t^Her ana salt. Intoxicants are pro-
uiuiiea auring these srhast v fpn^in Knf i^ i:^. r • *
*„„„4. ^.1. . e)'"*'"^v ieascs, out, m Jieu of wme, manv of <h <
dlkLff '^' 1 k'"^^^ "^^^ ^^« ^>-^ «^ the vTctimV^
dnnk It off with the relish of veritable vampires. The flesh of^mln
IS denied women, and none of the sex are allowed to e>^n be ;!"«
at he cannibal banquet, but travelers assert that that which iTaw
into the whole people is their taste for human flesh. ^
rir T I . „ "°"''°"« IMPOSSIBLE TO DESCRIBE,
hUn'ii ! ? *^^' frequently, at the execution of criminals ^o
P^; of th^^^ ''' T't ''-'' ''^y «^^ -^ «-^-t with c^X'off
paits of the living victim, but will tear him with their teeth and e.t
o:iTa;vf ^ HeT ^ ^^", """^ ^'^ ^"^ ^^"^^ ^^ "^^ ^^'
vouied alive He further relates that a British resident, on one
a Uiiti.h soldier who had been about one-half eaten. The Battas h-id
evidently been surprised at their feast, for a fire was burn^! besi
ork ZTr'/n' ' iTu^' *'^ ^^'^^^^ -« ^«-^ half.cooked°upo a
fork that had been left by the cannibals in their hasty flight. ^
The fo lowing description of the execution and eatin^ of a Bitta
dressed to the Court of Direction of the East India Company, which
may aptly conclude this tale of Batta horrors •
f rr :.';tr!. ^"^^^' ^'^^ ^-^.«^ ^^=-»^ -me, though th; wn-;:;
r ^"7 t"e „,;.u was reaiiy guUty of a mere pettv offense. But
he was sentenced to be eaten, according to the law piWiding for X
ho victim and,
his ears. The
> on, each rel-
lemned. After
up the victim,
id cuts off the
The brain*!,
d preserved in
culprit on the
• flesh is eaten
ers to grill the
icants arepro-
J, many of th;.'
be victim end
e flesh of man
ren be present
which is luw-
, so ingrained
' criminals, ?o
ith cutting off
teeth and eat
i literally de-
dent, on one
he remains of
le Battas had
irning beside
oked upon a
ght.
ig of a Battn
Kcer and ad-
ipany, which
trial, of «n
?h the writer
Gfense. But
ding for the
THe WORtD ASIrolil!.
punlshmsnt of adulterer. Ti,„ •
P"»t ealled Tai,pa„ool^ and "r/wi '7 ''?,''''"*' '^'""'' '"» ''"'''I'
other British resident.. 'V.tne.sseU l,y the writer and two
Upon reaching the scone „f execution ,1,
report found a large «»»cn,l,l„g„ :"»«";, all ^ ,T" "'^''"'^ "">
nund over the feast that was about t " '"'"'■'""'' ''■"'"« "*
was soon produced and bou ,d „ „ st k '""''"?''• ''''« «'-■"""'
formed in a circle. The nl "ter^ ^ "•"""'' '''''"'^' "'" P-'Pl'
such.can,o f".ward, holding r;T,"!,i";:"^'"' " ' ""'J' call |,L
ki.ife which he flourished fo^r In.ol 'f ^"'' " '""»'• -"'Wooking
Close behind hin, followed 1 m„ 2 T ' "f"'"'"'""' "•" ^-""'
condiment n.ado of limes ,.|,il. ■ '"""^ " '""'> oontai„in<ra
U-e injured h-ba„d ' to com trwld V''^'-■'*'''■■'' •"'" """"'^ '»
Joomed man. In this case the lulh .1, '"'""""■' '""■'• <" tho
ll.e jodge i„,mediately seve ed fro n tb! ." ""' '■'s'" ""• "hich
member to the husband, who „t ™co n' ■"" "'"^ ''""""' "^"^'"""y
it ™w. The others in the' a embL 1' 1" "■" "'"""" """' ""^
criminal from whom they cut str^, ""•'" '"" "P"" "'« bound
<iipped them int. the sambX X Z^l:' ''"' ■" '""^ ^•'■°- -d
When the poor offender b. , I ^ ^^ "•"•" ■""<"'•
human vuitui who :tth:i°::: !•''■'''''' ''" '""y 'y ">e
despairing cries of anguish, a see™ 11 ^P"""". despite hi,
him to the heart, more%ut J ^e™ „t tThr'^'!;^ "'>/"" »"""'«<>
spectators, however, than any dTIoV "^^ "' "'» B"'"'>
peot.e^:The":::n;;;et:i:iirr;-^' '- -- --
commerce, written language, arms Lb! ^r"'"'"""'' '''"«'<"'•
!n advance of all othe,°h.,rh . . -^ '"' '■"'" ">"'' "' be far
cannibal and brut^ pro ' ' ^th^ ' ",",' " " ""™ •■'" '"' ''^-
the Malays, their neLXthLr':"^ """" ""*"">tedly rank with
We know thaTth" "'"'■^'"'° -""»= o.«»,BAL,s„.
p™cticer:iM/3 ::::m\:r:;i-r;r' '""^^ "-'• '^■'- "»<•
x-t descHbe,s;„c:'r:i:i:tt;;:---:^^^^
that the pracSce I coufiued to , "° fl''"''^'- ^''^ -^^°'"' bOief
i'hmds is one wh eh,, s„ 1 ^ '' °' '^''■'"'' ""^ ""'^""«'=
-.w„.andtroturr\:rtt;:: -:'^ " --
u>
li
77(5
ftftA AND LANt),
The ropub he of Hayti. which is almost at our door and the mosl
on that of tninco, with president, nenato and house of representa-
t.ve.s; with secretaries of atate. prefects, judges, and all the para-
phernaha of courts of justice and of police : with a press .nore or less
In Hn?. "" 'r r1'"''' ''^^''"P' ""^^ clergy nearly all Frenchmen."
Ins connecfon Ilayt. nu.st not he confounded with its sister re-
pul.hc of Santo Dom.ngo, inhabited by Spanish-speaking negroesan.l
occupy.ng the argest part of the island. Santo Do mhfgo Th said
be far more enlightened than Hayti.
Sir Spciiser St. John, now British Minister to Mexico, was twelve
years beginning with 1863. minister resident and consul general
f om Great In tain to Hayti. In his recently published book^alled
-Hayti,or the Back Eepublic," he has a chapter on •' Voudou
Worship and Cann,balism,v a„d his testimony is so strong and direct
that the hornble facts which he exposes can hardly be refuted. Can-
nibalism in Hayt. is an accompaniment of the barbarous voudou wor-
s up brought from Africa. The evil is so widespread in Hayti that
ho government has never dared to grapple with it, with the excep-
tions of the administrations of Presidents Geffrard and Boisro.ld
Canal, and it is probable that they, in some measure, owe their fall
to this action. The Emperor Soulouque was a firm believer in the
voudou, the muUtto, Governor Therlonge, was one of its high priests,
and a late pnme minister was said to be a chief priest of the sect
A believer in voudouism is, however, not necessarily tainted with
cannibalism, there being two sects who follow the worshij), one con-
sisting of those who only delight in the blood and flesh of white cocks
and spotless white goats at their ceremonials, and the second compris^
caflfrrfl" r TVr'^ <^-"^ed to these, but on great occasions
viclims. "' "" " ^''' "^'^""' '°^"«'" «^ ^"--
A VOUDOU CEREMONY.
At a dinner Sir Spenser heard the Archbishop of Port-au-Prince
g.ve an account of the occurrences at a voudou ceremony held the
preceding week in the district of Arcahaye (in 1869). A French
pnest in charge of the district had a curiosity to witness the cere-
monies, and he persuaded some of his parishioners to take him to
the forest where a meeting was to be held. They were very unwili-
ing, saying that if they were discovered he and they would be killed
'^^ trORLO Ptfonjz^
T77
''"t he i)i„,nised faithfullv th..* i. ^^^
After tl,o u„u,.I ccr..,„„„ie, of killh „ , ' '''"-""o-' "» » l>™»a„t.
CI.W 8 feet fl„„ t„ g" " l.bck, was tigl,to„cU, tl,„
" ''""'• ^-•''« 'oud «,„,ek give , 1 y 't i ' • '"'"' ""'"■"-'"■<• " >-'h
t" t .e ruth of what was goi, „C IT ", '"'""•'"' "'° F.em l„„a„
ca.WI- and would have dwed f w. ." k'"""""'' " »• ^P"™ tho
"end, around hi,„ and ,,:,/: ^d /' "",—«-' by hia
»;'fely back to the town and tried L ''"" ""' »1">'- Ho »„t
""""thing unti, the Zni'Tlt^r '''"''"''''''•''"' '^°y ''""^"d
«cene. They found the re„ lli^o , 7 '"•""'>l'«"iod bin, to the
•l« boiled skull of the child Thl nV""-'-' '""' '""' "'» »bed w„,
™"»ed at the priest for hi, inl , """"'"'""' '"«o exceedingly ;„
"..■■t they could not «nsw« f„ " r;!"' T'- ".""" "'" "■"«»""
au-Pr,„ee, where he made hi« re, ort t„ ?' "'"PP"'' '""■ "« "' I'o.l:
S.r Spenser enys that, in .e neH vV "'' •'', '"''"P'
dou worship are spoken of ir " Lv '."h '"'ll''""!' ''""''"^ '" ™-
deavor to turn the conversation or hj' °^"'" t""'""-"". en-
»n, or the events have been exa:.rr,tr''j;^'™ '"™ '^^^'> ™Po*d
'h" «tory of a trial which he t r"«„ ""'" '" ''''"' '«'«v»^
account of which is given in the offi , • " "'""'""' '"'"*' " d"'""*.!
«rred during the Presidency of r rT"' "' "'^ ""^ " oe-
-"s the „,ost enlightened n^Jsbt;,, f ■■'"■'• "'■""■ ">^ """■"^
A man named Conge Pelle uTa ''■'^' "' President Boyer
Po''-au-Prinoe,i„lv L-^tEVor""^' ""''^^ '" '"^ "-"■'
^gentleman's servant, an ilL whfw "' '"'"' ''^™ » '»'«"-er.
»«.on without an exertion o7h' ''"■""°"' •» '"'P™™ his no-
>l'--«od himself to hi ."ter T """ P?"'- ^" '"•^ •'il-™"".. he ad-
^-"..hevoudou.and, ' ;t;'"r,' 'T ","" '""' "-" »»-cted
h^elf « we,, known m:;„i'^°';t.f™f "","'« P^^-'--S and
«-^ ^e^pectfnl ly ::„r "" J- ^'""^ """ "'^''^ P"-'^ ""'i prie t-
-™™anroi.^oy7f:r:XTr:LT'ur " 4 ™'
•^ 'uotner.; it was agreed that
778
SEA AJfD Land*
'.!<>&
about the new ydiii' some sacrifice should be offered to propitiatf
serpent whom they worshipped. It was thought better to o«
more important sacrifice than the customary white cock or goat
consultation was held with two papalois, Julien Nicolas and Fl(
Appollon ; it was decided to sacrifice a female child, and the cl
fell on Claircine, the niece of Jeanne and Conge. This was the
count given in court; but it appears to be an undoubted fact
human sacrifices are offered at Easter, Christmas eve, New Y<
eve, and more particularly on Twelfth Night.
A CANNIBALISTIC DEBAUCH.
The mother was induced to go to Port-uu-Prince for an aftern
when the child was kidnaped and hidden under the altar of a vot
temple. The mother was deceived on her return, and on New Yt
eve a select company assembled at the house of Jeanne to partak
a savory feast. The child was horribly butchered, carved up, and
flesh placed in wooden dishes. After various ceremonials, the i
was cooked with Congo beans, and the head was put into a pot ^
yams to make some soup. One of their women present, urged
the fearful appetite of a cannibal, cut from the child's palm a p
of flesh and ate it raw. The night was passed in eating, danc
drinking and debauchery. The next morning the remains of the t
were warmed up for breakfast. Fourteen persons were arrested,
suflScient evidence was found against eight, who were tried, (
demned and executed. Sir Spenser asked the public prosecutor i
thought that the mother had been really ignorant of the fate reser
for her child. He replied : "We have not thought proper to p;
the inquiry too closely, for fear that we should discover that she j
took of the feast ; we required her testimony at the trial." Aft(
pause he added ; "If full justice were done, there would be fifty
those benches instead of eight." During the trial, proofs were
duced that the devotees of voudou worship associate it with the c(
monies of the Catholic religion. Crosses and pictures of the Vir
are strangely mingled on their altars with the objec^.s of their sup
stition. In 1862 the delegates of the Pope left the country in c
gust on account of the prevailing corruption, the dearth of relig
among the secretaries of the voudou, and the opposition which
met with in what in Hayti is called civilized societv.
The Spanish minister reported to his government the case of
unknown youth of about twenty years, found dead in the streets
d be offered to propitiate the
as thought better to offer a
tuary white cock or goat. A
3, Julien Nicolas and Floresil
female child, and the choice
id Conge. This was the ac-
) be an undoubted fact that
Christmas eve, New Year's
^ight.
EBAUCH.
•t-au-Prince for an afternoon,
n under the altar of a voudou
er return, and on New Year's
louse of Jeanne to partake of
butchered, carved up, and the
mrious ceremonials, the flesh
head was put into a pot with
sir women present, urged by
Tom the child's palm a piece
s passed in eating, dancing,
rning the remains of the flesh
3n persons were arrested, and
eight, who were tried, con-
Bd the public prosecutor if he
ignorant of the fate reserved
not thought proper to press
should discover that she i)!ir-
mony at the trial." After a
ione, there would be fifty on
ing the trial, proofs were ad-
lip associate it with the cere-
;s and pictures of the Virgin
th the objec;,s of their super-
Pope left the country in dis-
iption, the dearth of religion
nd the opposition which he
zed societv.
i government the case of an
found dead in the streets ofi
THE WORLD ASHORE.
Port-au-Piince, his hea -t ' ^^^
'•' thin, hollow' cane \ T'""^^ ^^ "" '"'^^I'"" attached to ^U- u
order to suck his bodS "^'"""^ ^^^^ ^- - as a W 7"
to the. report made by the st ^^T''^' *'^ ^«"^o» pHe s acol- "
thing tremendous in i s infl"'^ ""'"^^'^^•' ^^'' A W 'w ' "^
death,^ apparent I ^"Auence on the peonle Ttu '''""'''
".the doubted that these^^jJr':"'"? "> ">«■> -vilf l""."
sense, can understand so thT f""^«''^>, without eve,, .'
Uiat they receive these instri.enJ ""''"'"'i i" a great bool; ,,„i
generation to another, with I "f »' "' " '•""■<"i d'l'osit Znl T'
".onntains of this isia'nd 'grl v ^ -"f ""'■Ve that'in the^a^d
Beside human saerJlvl "■"" " """'■■"' "ooo.'
slanghtenng of human bei„„, ,« 1 ^^ "' "'« '""J which th.
"'"■'■^- A lady, the wif :, fit'" " "■'" '"'''"" of 'h om
""enor o„ account of civil war JT""""'''' '""""^ '" ^""7 in iZ
ome horrible incidents of kl ol t ^"7™<'i'=g districtsf rlted
human sacrifices were eonsta.rt T ^'•"''«'s«- She deeh. ed 7h!t
^e maricet. A high g'^^ZlL^^^I^Z/t r ""^"'^ ^'^ '"
»g • A man traveling with his wifj ®"' ^>"""""- "lo follow
«««age on account of as ,'rth~T ;''''="'='' '^ ^^'i^ «'*r in J
"O^e, the man went to seek hdn f ° "'"'[^•'' "'' ""d becon L
pants, two men „„d „ne woman u '""f ""' "''" '>""' the oc °!
fc'd any one, and on his ,^^",; ."'"f"'""? '™e l>efore he co„W
»he had followed him, becom nT' '" ""' ""' «°"^- Tl>ev to^dl, „
"vay and induced the p icr.o^f^ ""l •" '" '""^ "'»«°«<^- He rode
;'«».ed, and the body of^w '::'""'; ^'^'^ "'■« inmates wl
iyd in a cask i„ an outhou e c %""'' '"^""'""'ered, " 4
Tl>e only punishment the ass ""i •''"' '""" " '^''"' '•'y^r "t 2
^elab, of the police as tr;;' ';'~ ™ """ """""-teredf
:f.:"TJ'y"'S children to' ent hi " tP?,""- ^he practice of
sii^ t::rfi:n~" =^^^^
780
SEA AND LANt).
Silf
salted down for future use. A woman arrested for cannibalism
asked by a priest : *♦ How could you eat the flesh of your own <
dren?" She answered coolly, " And who had a better right?"
There is in Hayti a class of human monsters called loup gan
who make it a practice to prowl about lonely houses at night to cj
off the children. They are employed by the papalois to secure c
dren for sacrifice in case the neighborhood does not furnish a suiti
subject, and they are naturally the bugbears of the country,
closing this frightful record, Sir Spenser says that, except dur
one year of Geffrard's Presidency, no Government has ever carec
grapple with the evil. If they hjive not encouraged it, they h
ignored it, in order not to lose the favor of the masses.
THE TERRA DEL FUEQIAN8.
As the Battas are the most cruel, so are the Fuegians the m
singular of all people. T^ey are an anomaly in nature, a very fre
of physical laws, setting nearly every standard of physiology
defiance, and becoming at once a lusus naturae, and yet a race, typk
of human beings. We can understand why men live in oaves, or
trees, why others are continually emigrating, why some live
insects, and others subsist upon the spoils taken from their neighbc
or enemies. But we cannot understand the law of nature that wot
protect persons living in the fire, because the conditions would appej
and are, impossible.
But what are we to say of the Fuegians, a somewhat populo
race, who maintain the most miserable of existences on a barri
island, projecting almost into the Antarctic circle, where in mi
summer the voice of winter is never silent. Even here, as wii
theEsquimauxin the far north, we might expect a hardy race, bi
it is an astonishing fact that we find here a race who persist in nuditi
to whom clothing is a greater burden than to the tribes of Ceiitri
Africa I A race of humans in whom the sensation of cold seems t
be entirely absent, for in their nakedness they exhibit less sufferin
from the severity of climate than does the polar bear in his great
cold-defying robe.
In his «' Uncivilized Uaces of the World," J. G. Wood, describiii|
the marvels of the Fuegians, says: ,
*' One of the strangest phenomena connected with the Fueo-ians ii
a Climate so cold that in the middle of .sum-
J. II
mer people have been frozen to death at no great elevation above the
D.
arrested for cannibalism wag
it the flesh of your own ehil-
ho had a better right?"
nonsters called loup garous,
nely houses at night to carry
the papalois to secure chil-
>d does not furnish a suitable
gbears of the country. In
er savs that, except during
overnmcnt has ever cared to
)t encouraged it, they have
^f the masses,
iGlANS.
• are the Fuegians the most
tnaly in nature, a very freak
standard of physiology at
turce, and yet a race, typical,
/hy men live in caves, or in
rating, why some live on
taken from their neighbors
le law of nature that would
he conditions would appear,
ans, a somewhat populous
3f existences on a barren
!tic circle, where in mid-
lent. Even here, as with
; expect a hardy race, but
- race who persist in nudity,
an to the tribes of Central
sensation of cold seems to
they exhibit less suffering
ihe polar bear in his great,
," J. G. Wood, describing
jcted with the Fuegians is
that in the middle of .sum-
• great elevation above the
THE WORLD ASHORE.
" Tilcy might do so if tiicy chose T„
they l,.ve tl,e thick-„„olod ^JZ' 1^^^" ^'"'^'' '" ''""' '-""'^^y
dog, wh,ch they keep i„ „ domesticaLd 1^ n "'■", *" """'"™ ">»
fur, warmer Ihan those of the .e " .^''"*"' "="■« "'« few
0.. the Fuegian c„a«ts, soms.'h;: '".'■" ^•"•'•"'•» '"■-'-'bound
-e. Then there are variou w o , urt ""' "f""" "' ^"''^ ''"'S'^
d.-e,se, equally light and war,,,, »u h a, Lo , '" '■'"'" """''' »"""'
albati-oss, and the like. " l'""S"i". the duck, the
't IS evident, therefore th<t if ,t ,- •
">iokly clothed, it is n, t fr^ft ! / '"-''"" ''^ '"" «™ly and
""t f,.om necessity h" cloic A "//"t™'' """ """ '"= '' "''-<'
«a.-i„ga„ydescriptio, o, ohest ! "•''*' '"""'■^' "^'""='---
"bout eighteen iacl es sauI,-» K ''" " '"""' °' ^»' °'- deer skin
of the body to a„ ,tl e a"oord,tt°tV ? '"■''"'"' '"'"' °"« »'<'<'
F"cgian appearing to bel, f' " °, !" *""""•" "^ "'« »i»d. the
Forexan,,/. . "=.'.'"' '""'""^tly indifferent to f.-ost. rain o. .n^.-
a^S wea lV„,fur "luuItT-.H ^ '"" '"'•'" "'•"> "- <S'd ■■" h r
»ard »ide, and yet 2id,"V " """"= "' '*'^"-^'"» »» "« "ind.
yet sta„d,„g uncoucernedly in the snow, which fell
782
SEA AND LAND.
not only on her naked shoulder, but was heaped between her ,
IX'lt'T^'' "^tr ""^^"^^"^ -LingtoTe^te
ordinarily cold During mild weather, or when the Fue^^ian is
dhng or otherwise engaged in work, he thinks that even tfe p ec
seal-skin is too much for him, and throws it off." ^
. ,, ^ . "^"^ RUDENESS OF FUEQIAN HUTS.
in ms rude hut, which serves hira as a habitation, he avoids
Tjc: rtf : t^t'" "'"'"^'■' "''"^ ■' ■■'"'■"■ '» ™'^
wind tiom the fire at which he cooks his meat, but around which
ctri^of I ""t"- 7^^^ ■"■'" "'<' "' ">e'si.p,e:r:i;':ct
cons,s.ing of a number of long poles, with the thicker ends «h,
ened and stuck into the ground in a circle, so ,h„ the tops mt
bent over and fastened at a common cent r. Th s oomT ere
framework which is then covered with small branches w""^ tto ,
.nterstices between the poles, and the whole is afterward cove
with grass The inside is furnished with a bed of gZ! upon wh
t..e miserable people lie, and they do their cookino at a fii" builli
small place scooped out of the earth in the ce„te°r • qufte as 1
however, the fire is built outside the huts, opoosite the w d
Iheir cooking IS of the rudest character, and generallv consist ■
put..g Uie food into hot ashes, and ailo;iug i" to re^in u^ I
•^ o.lj fairly warmed. Cooking in vessel? of any kind is u,
I^rown to them, and the first lessons given them in cToki . musse
mam pan were scarcely more successful than those in se«:in°" he
the women invariably made a hole In the fabric with the needfe tho
tT pl'ctr " Th°"' "' "" "'' "' ""' "^^^'^ ""« inserted U t ;o„:
me puncture. They were repeatedly tauo-ht the uso of ih. ., ^
carrying the thread, but to litUe purposc-as t t; Z^l IZZl I
their primitive way of sewing with a fish-bone aifd fibrf of sinew
The Fuegians are a quarrelsome people and war is almost con
thX rrugh^a^iroTd^ir : :r^^^^^^^
ffenerallv Amr.i«,r^^ • T '^ ° execution, these arms are not
t"! ir."!"" *'*'' "'•"'•"" '^' ^"^g'™' "e marvelou.,; - expert.
" "■"" "' -u»pears are generally about ten feet in length,' and
18 heaped between her child
ant seeming to be more than
, or when the Fue^ian is pad-
thinks that even the piece of
i^sitoff."
QIAN HUT8.
s body against icy blasts, so
a habitation, he avoids any
, using it rather to break tlie
i meat, but around which he
of the simplest construction,
ith the thicker ends sharp-
•cle, so that the tops may bo
enter. This completes the
lall branches woven into the
hole is afterwards covered
a bed of grass, upon which
r cooking at a fire built in a
he center; quite as often,
opposite the wind,
r, and generally consists in
)wing it to remain until it
issels of any kind is un-
i them in cooking mussels
;han those in sewing, when
ibric with the needle, then
die and inserted it through
ht the use of the eye in
IS they always returned to
>ne and fibre of sinew.
E FUEGIAN8.
and war is almost con-
though the number killed
and arrow, the spear, and
cution, these arms are not
one may he killed, hut
cos, deer, fish and birds.
J are marveloua: / expert,
it ten feet in length, and
THE WORLD ASHOEE.
instead Of being round «r« . ^^^
With the shaft. °« -""l l>ave u barb near tho juuction
ta."e<l by the Balearic is ander'^o 't ""^'^ "' ">" '«?"« on '^^
"f " ^""g-to„e a cap pC on a7 ^'"« "'" ^-" 'hem rit
The men seem to th;. i .. ®' ^^^^ I'ebounded tn fU '
^eidon, that a Fuc„i „ ' '" "■"" " """"'-^J of life L "■'"""■
+;«^ , "egian is seen withnnf .-^ vi , ' °" ^t is verv
tiod rouud hi, ,..,i3t_ '"'■''<>"' 't either hu„g over his back or
nogs are regui'ded " wkT "T ""^ ""' """'"us.,,
-g-ect a..d iStreat^;:: f,,"Xtl.^r';>-''^''"eFuegia,,s,wh„
be..»,s„thatiftheydepeodedTttrV ° "" ''■"'""■> '"feed
ey ,vou,d starve. However, t eir ' ll'r • """' "^ '"-' "-'ers
"-ef al servauts the power of f„ral ^ ^, ""« ?'''"» "'exe most
:eq-red by their masters, the;Tiw ^T"'^*'' »■"'' ""«" "ot
They are odd, sharp-nosed bulv,-^i '" "" "•"»• ""n account
-et ears, „„d usu'llyt t'h ^t "t^b "'''^I "■'" ""''• ""^"■^.'
hem have the fur nearly white '■ / '"'"•' ""'"'"'' ■> 'ew among
ten- masters, and the sight of a ;;/ "' *'"cl,fnl and faithful t«
- affectioSf:: ™f - ^;^^^^^^^ -» ^"'^ - .-. .espeet and
'"Petefail. that the weather is to te, T"' """ "'« '""-e'^ a"'
™ consequence the people a^ ed„ ed TttT" ^'f"""'' """^ ""''
"f i'^ presumed that, havin.. their dt''.;"""^ "' ''""'"'"'"■ '^
-■....elves of so obvious a source of f* ' 1, Z^' '""^ """" a™l
-- -. -ept When reduced .r LXm!:;.^-?,:!;^-^
?il
784
SEA AND LAND.
eating their dogs, they eat their old women, who, as they think, ai
worn out and can do no good, whilo the dogs, if suffered to live, wi
assifit in catching fish and guanacos.
• The Fuegian's great feast, however, takes place when a whale i
stranded on the shore. All the people within reach flock to the spol
while fleets of canoes suiiound the stranded monster, and its body i
covered with little copper-colored men carving away the blubber wit
their shell knives. Each cuts as much as he can get, and when h
has torn and carved off a large piece of blubber, he makes a hole ii
the middle, puts his head through the aperture, and thus leaves hi
FUEGIANS FEASTING OFF A WHALE CAST ASHORE.
hands free to carry more of the dainty food. It is immaterial
whether the flesh be putrid or not, perhaps they like it better if it is ;
anyhow, Mr. Darwin, who visited them during his journey round the
world in the ship Beagle, declares that the Fuegians eat the flesh of
the whale when in the very last stages of decomposition ; and what
they can't eat at once they bury in thy sand for future occasion.
FILTHY HABITS AND IMITATIVE POWERS OF THE FUEGIANS.
Though much of their time is spent in and about water, especially
the sea, it is a strange fact that the Fuegians never wash themselves,
AST ASHORE.
THE WOBLD ASIIOIiE.
tho idea of cleanliness havi,,.. „evo,. h. '^^
have a most disgusting hahhonZ , k ™"»«''«> h tiiem. Thev
.»ud, until their natu™, e,'',"^: '^ ;;» "-"-'vos wi,„ g^ease^i
s never removed, while new appHe tin ' """ "" ""^ >^''^»"'tio
the,r bodies smell with an odor mo e , , i ^ " " '^ '''''"S "'"*,
noses ean possibly endure. " ""P'""" """■ unaccuston,ed
tan, Parker Snow, however seemrtn '"'"' "'"<"'? "'<""; Can.
ception during his visit to i.e i™, a , T" "'"' "'"' " '■»«!'!'„. ,e!.
confidence to such a„ extent h'^t;-,""''^'' '" "'"-""'i'tl-r
and one of them willi„g|„ aeconZ L f^ ^ "'""""■''™''l ''is ship,
I'oped that, giving him tl'JTZ^tZ T '"• '^"""'""''- " -^
means, upon returning to the is nTof T '■'"""'• ''« """W '""he
pie. .After several ye^rs 'p:''^,, .::■=-'"!» « " <'f his ,.e„.
Fuegnin received a very „„„d educnH 1 ''"'' '"^""^ "'ne this
fa., faith, he was sent l,* to Ten 'd 'l 7 "" 'T"'"' '" '"" «"--
"•ards some voyagers met him o, jll , T^'u ^ ^'•'"' y""' »««.-
F...«ian. A'very2:;?. :,:,3 Th^f '"""'^ developed i„ the
occurred to some sailors who we t 1 ',""' '"''"''>' "' "'"!™°
drink coffee. One of the FuJci ' r^ T^ ""«■" ""= "a'ivcs to
'■■i/ed to conceal the tin .of Sc T '""'"' '"^ «"»-• eon-
«ior demanded the .■esto ati'orlf Z " 'T '" "'"''"S ''■ The
"oyed that every word which, eutlrdCn:!' 7;'™'='"'''^'"'-
Fuegmn. Thinking at last th.t , ,„ '""'""Hy repeated by the
fo.-getti„g for the^instaTt tl; , ' dM*" 7^' 1"""°"'"'« ^""""">
E'.Rlish, the sailor assumed a In ""' """"^'^'"d ""e word of
"You copper-colored rascal wher'"" ' "'"' "'"'■'«<' '"'^.
""U " the copper-colored Zc,r . h^rt,"'' '1" "?'' " ^' '' '-^d
"* -«. -erstXCS'ht ttrofter^ -^ -
THe PATAQONIAN8 COMPARED w.tm\ ' "
Separated from the rue<.iHnsbvtpv '"'°"''-
I
X8fi
THE WORLD ASHORE.
illustrate the r.u .arkahio ^iff ^^^
o'o.e;,v .,it„,.,e<, thatU ' „ *;;:'::V''"?,«'^' >.etwee„™„e. ,„
ought to approximate each othoT " •""'"»• ^ ■""■'"ers of L:"
i'lolatagonians are noted f,„.'i v.-. ,
.eve- even employ <,og» f„,. ZX , "^'■■"" '''™ "" '"-'^a. and
;', «^™"^""l3' horsemen as wtHhl '''•""'•■" "'" I'"'"?"'™., are
The,r very infancy is ,>,„„,, J^lf^ '"e.ent people of Thes^aly!
poverty „,„„„g ti,^,„ .^ « W n the saddle, and ti.e depth of
»"o nearly »„ eold a. that If t ,„ i, "'• "• -f'-'-gl'tl-i.' dunata
abuDdanee of clothing, ,n„de of f *"''S""''^- "'"y wear a super
«..-<y substantial nn.n.ter ^o ..tlU, """ '""''" ""='^ ""--ta
er»l height is about six let fl^ t'T' "■"™'-'-'. 'h-t their '™
eet is very eommon, so t a 'thravrra "'"" ""l ^''"''"- ""' --»
"hove s,x feet. ""^^S" «. perhaps, an inch or two
■No race exceeds f ho p *
».eg.-eat hunters, th^ul S^fi^" ""'""""'" '" '"-'-''• They
;^"direetlythe„pp„|,:;tlu: -r"'J: I''"^." ^P-' «^eyt^
'ole, weapon is the bolas, a siranle h,t ?!;''P'-"'"P''l.«n<I "early
hands. This is made by cover ^thrLTnl f """ """"^^ '" '"-^
and copper-the size of a man's flT m '"'"'''-''On.etimes iron
,"g the,„ with as manv tl^o^r IuLT, f "'T '''"'• ""'' »°"'--='^
f«t- In thro,ving th s weapo, tbT^T^J""^^' '"'"' ""■<"> '» -ine
"«««, and at a distance of /ft" 1^^'^ " ""'^ '""^'ou^ expert!
«™n of a rifle-bullet. The il„^e c • «"''. '"' *■"''' '' "'"■ ">«?«-
ve.y fleet animal, which abou.fds i , pf'' ''""!"' '« «■« g"""aeo, a
»upphes the people with nea."y a, 'tt^ "f T '" S™" """bers, and
Ade^oription, or history of alv T/t,* "°"" *'^"»''"»'
'^.e% noticed is always intr^lth I'g^. I'VoXl T" '^'"■"'' ' "^
- ,.n«e or human existence so ,i.,„. i ? ™ '» ""y tribe,
Went of nature or casnaT -kl wh \ '' """''''^ '" ''^'■- th«
788
SEA AND LAND.
II 1
properly called InnuUs). These wonderful people appear to us like
be,„g, who belong to another world than ou«, son, ^»phe e where
ni"hl LT r ":?'"^ '" "■•'"' ""^ ">" bl-k specter, of
u lace peculiar to wondcr-Iand.
How, by what law of natu.c, can huniim beinfrs subsist in a n ;■
petually frozen wilderness, where the landscape i! dovoTd of X:
and naught but icy peak and hoary plain, ieetling crags of V^^o
and wh,stl,„g wmds, vary the dull monotony of a ^cen^ „ru,d in
death- hke slun,her, the funeral scene of nalurc? lyT n nv
subs.st, but subvert the elements of cold to their own p„ p. :^ "J
pass as happy hves in their inclement country as do the ap»°;," v
more favored inhabitants f,f su.my dimes. "PPi.ently
„. _ . APPEARANCE, DRESS AHD HABITS.
The Esquimaux are a short, and l,y no n.eans stron.. race their
ZZTZ^t' I"""" ''" ""'■ ''"'"- ""^ '^"^'^^
one Knows and few have even conjectured. Their eves are sot
Ob hquely hke the Chinese, whou, they also resen.ble in ;„ ,p eL,
PC irilv" 1:^ ;''7T': ""=^P™-'^''e appeau.nee„f Ind.'ns e :
peually the h,gh cheek-bones, hair, and facial features. Living i , an
excessively cold climate where any exposure of body is foil, wed b
wa is' r T"™'.""'""- '" "■" *"«' """■■"'■ E'luimaux nev
sary. But we .lo wonder that they are equallv ignorant of such
v,go,-ous exercise as running and jumping, the yeiy p'ract "es which i
would appear their condition would develop. The young peop e hav!
The Esquimau women use the tattoo quite liberally, eoverin.. a
greater portion of their faces and bodies with queer d sS™ f I,
process of tattooing is an extremely painful one! which Ze wo!d
submit to except for fashion's sake, whose votaries never stopala
thu.g, either painful or ridiculous. It is accomplished by means o'.
thT:xf ::" h' ""rf, "'f"-"' ^"'""^ -'<= thesemd'ermpTeme :
the aitist sews through the skin of the victim by short stitches tie
thread being blacked with soot from time ,„ hL ..Ih.- - •
ioteut!n!d bvM "' " V' '""" ''•'^""^^ *'^ "°-^^- The suffer
lug eutailed by this operation must be terrible.
1
kin
call
use(
port
time
feet
capa
shuti
It
over
hole ^
takes
the b(
twent
that a
water,
The
that tl
ful spc
ill a mi
have s(
Ther
the woi
sel. B
at hand
waist, a
flings hi
iiig him
turns hi
again.
twenty t
only his
As mil;
barism, t
though r€
fl^antiug.
THE WORLD ASHORE.
Tu- 789
, tHB wonderful KVAif D«
The means of tva,mmvt«,: , *"" '" """"'"""r.
"'« l-r "-o women. Tl,i latte „„ ", ' ""'' "'* ""»"■< ^vhk-h i,
port,„gJa.gequ„„tai„3 of b,!^ ,/:"';;•'""• "'^'--ely for trans-
.me They are genem.lv twt^ "^ "''"""' -' "' l-'-n., at a
feet depth, and, being made of sk™ , '" "''"■ """ "^ ''"-"
oapacty. The kyaok is a reraarkab ' , ™ ."' '"""'""■'"' """y""-
shuttle shaped, both ends bei " , X TV, ""■■'"»»-''i.>- It U
It IS nnuleo' avery sli„|,t''f ., ' ^ "^ """••
overwhieh is stretehed'^a e^veH ::r:'k'i ^7' "'"' '""''-"'>'"''
takes h,s seat, he gathers the skin "^l" ''" "T'- """ »''e" he
the boat is absolutely impervions t Tv T' '"■^ "'"»'' «" that
twenty-flve feet, and so liM.t -n-e tho r^- . " '""■'■'»" '""gth is
:-»a-ea„earryhisU'::ln-'t:rL::-ol:t:te
;f ^s:e:-:,-r,tL::it..:V"'r-" --^
.'"' "P^od- The paddle is a double one b,'°','»'' "' '''"' '"'""'«-
■" a manner whieh is now rende ed tW i'li ? f '" 'k" ""'"'"• »'"' "-''
have so largely taken the place If sWffs "' '^""' '^""™^ "'"■<=''
'^erdirern:''itrh'rr>^''T-'' "■ -^--^-
»el. He does not, howevir altint T'" '"^ °'" '''' "'"^ '-
«t h.nd. Af..r seeing th the " k , . "• T""' '<^''^'' '•' »l"-
«i»t, and that his neck and vHs s ur ' n " ''.""^ ""'' '•"""" ^is
fl".gs himself violently to on! ide tb ":'-''"'"'' "'" "■»" ^'"'''enly
">g himself under water W h « 1 T,"""" "'" ""'"' »'«' ""-ry-
t"rns himself and eanoe eon/o le r "' f'"^""^ '"'P'^'d'e he
«8-.. A skillful eanoeZ w, 'Z' ::'■•"=" '■'"^''''"''■■'^^^^ '
twenty times or so, almost as faJ . H °™'' "'"' "'"'' ""^^
only his face will bL in the llf'wet "'"' '"" '""°" ■""■' ""0 ^»t
Wism. tL T,, 3r!!l"" ■ "' " """* """"^ '•" ■' ™"*ti„n „f ba.
though religrjus'^eliefaTrerectettr '"7 ''T^" -""'titiJns,
-.g. HarWa,e.;recSfn:tZ^%rfrp:S
790
8EA AND LAND.
by any ceremony with them, consisting of no other form than a
consent to live together. Polygamy in common, hut there is a!
a favorite wife,genornlly the first one, who assumcH the rcsponsil
of the Igloo, and in turn has the best bed, food and attention i.
household. When an Ks«,uimau wife is about to become a n>.
8ho retires apart from all her family to an igloo built espcciall
her. Here she is suffered to remain without a sin«Hc compal
caring for herself until her child is about two weeks^old when
comes out of the igloo for the first time, throws away all hei
clothes, which no one may afterwards wear, invests herself in
ESQUIMAUX IN THEIR KVACK BOATS
furs, and then visits every family that may be i , her village 1
ceremony completes her purification and she resumes her place w
ner family. ^
_ r>«ath is a matter of small concern, apparently, among the Innui
judging by the indifference they manifest. When an Esquimau h
111 he or she, as the case may be, is carried to a new igloo and, bei
supplied with food and drink near at hand, is left to perish or surv
as .ate msy dcci-co. In taking the patient into an igloo, however,
18 never by way of the door, but through a breach made in the m
pnt why, no one has attempted to explain.
...i.i4»;.ljl
of no other form than ii nioro
8 common, hut there is alwavH
vho assumoH the responsibility
!?cl, food and attention in tlie
i8 about to become a mother
> an ijrloo built especially for
without a single companion,
)ut two weeks old, when she
;ime, throws away all hor old
wear, invests herself in new
*HtJ ivOHtt) Asiioni.:.
791
:k boats.
may be i. her village. This
she resumes her place with
)arently, among the Innuits,
. When an Esquimau falls i
ed to a new igloo and, beinjr
1, is left to perish or survive
tit into an igloo, however, it
1 a breach made in the wall,
In case o^ death the body is cnrvUui .» i-
J?.oundand laid upon the summi "" '"'j'"""* '"''« '" ^'"^
the wolves or dogi so,:; '"i. 'n" ''T'' I'T ^""^^' ^'•«-
H g.ave. to which the frl.^JiZ'L d^ ilt: f 'T-' ""^1
talk to the spirit which Is m,.... . , ^.^'''V ^^^ f'*'q>«('"t visits and
would ..nveiJtm':;,;:;.^!;;:' '- "° ^^^^^^ i^-- ^^i-t ..they
OttAPTKH XLt.
CURIOSITIES OF THE HUMAN RACg
?N fl r '"^'^ DWELLERS OF THE OR.NOOO.
N he preceding pages I have cursorily described .ome of the
^ nio. n.teresting races of the world, and, while on"itl
n<M„.on of many others, I have not neglected o s eC !
that bind them to 1,11,0, „f „,.,n Th , , ^ '""■""="'' *'"
inte,ii.e„oe ,.„d ,.tt,.i„:;: : ' : I, :,:;': ',n;,'i"r;";'" "r-
M^arau aaU Canb „-,he«, „ot .o i.umeroas now, hut one :„ powe,ful
perhap,, us any ,,,co „f S„uth Ame,ica. These .i„gZ pelt
a e ,,,offe„s,vc, ext,e„,ely ign„n„,t and intensely s„pe«thi„„s.'^ One
of the be,„gs w ich they n,„,l d,ead is the wat„ m!,,,™.. „ C-efa
thZfH f' ,"'' '" <"f '"■o"' fo™'. «>raeti,ne, even a»»u„,i„^
that of the horse, but often talcing that of the n,.,n„ti. The O,ohu i°
d Iff ^'1 ■"' '""'""'• '' "P' '" '''* •^'o^" '" '"e canoes and
drag them and then- crows under water.
792
SEA AND LAND.
T ,U ^C "^'*°°°^"«' '^E'^T.ON OF LAKE DWELLERS
oovt-'; wet td;'„,";rr -""-i t'^^^" '^■"■"'- "-«' -''-
Switzerland, once occupedbv a r"? of <l„elli„gs i„ the lake, of
«he surface it the water ™\i''^'." "'"''' '^''" ■>»"'-'' '"'»™
historian. After I„lm; I L f '' " '"^'■^ '■"""''<'" »' "■<>
subdued, he states tharthepl-f ™™"\»''«»"' thatMegaha.es
.uer^. those who ^'t^z^zz:^:^::^^?' '° -"-
planks, and leading dowu to tC ,\ Z"^""' "'"""'-^ ^''^d i„ the
with a cord round tlie fee V- f'' ^^"^ *'" "'" ^"""S "I'ildren
beneath. To thettrsta^d;!! rf^tXt:'' '"" """ ''" '"'"'
der, of which there i, «„I i, j , °" """^ S"ve fish for fod-
his trap-door, l.irZ' .^'Z'ZZ^ f " 7" '"' "'^"'^
and, after waiting a short tin,e,Ztt';'fu?; :;fi:h.'.?"' ""' '""»'
TU i«T ™^ WONDERFUL ITA PALM
The Waurus construct their dwelling „f .1,' r,
the ougmviug, the tree bein» to tLm Zd h / i""""' *' '"™ '"
When full-<,rowi. th„ Tt! 1 ' ''""'' "'"' "overing.
with a fan o C r twelve 1"? -semblea a tall, c^liudricafpillar,
top. Each leaf is oLe In W ^T?Jf'^^">S fom its extreme
huge stem about twelve feet if T'"''.""'' '^ '"PP""''" »P"» «
than a leaf-stem. Indeed ! .1 ,T^' ^^^'"^ """'^ "k* " branch
At regular Nervals ttCtefZ^ol:';::;! IT' ^ '"'i " ■"»"•
"nother, the tree adding to its hetht at Z/ ^ ' ""^ '.' "'^P'"''""' ''^
stem is nearly a hundred feet S a^d Tr "^^ °' "-f,untilthe
Food is suunlied hv th.7 • . '*"" '" ""■""mference.
fruit,wh,ch, whe^ ripe ilT '" """'""' '"""'" ^'^^'' """•« is the
of which a 0 devVred on ^hf "' ? l''"'""'^ "PP'^' ™»''y ''»<'^^ds
Next, there is thetunt of te '"^ ^'^"'"' P'°''"'='='' ''^ ""s tree,
tongitudinally at th time whenTeZ"'' T^'T- " " "" ^P'"
bu.-st from the enveloping smthe!. '"''""''"' J"»t about to
substance is found wS rrh f """"'"y "' -'t, pith-like
burnishes a sort of brtd oa;^ J^r '"'"^'' "- ''" '=''^^''™' "»"
drawTa :p,'"rhict'nke1hMTf tT "" ^°""- ^'""' ">■' '-^ "
en be ferm'onted, »;,d th!l'/ulo::"''?-r^ "r"' ^■"'™''" "'-•
other kind of drink is proen^d ^^^^"01 r^'^, ^
.ER8.
?e which, until dis-
igs in the lakes of
their homes above
•e invention of the
lis that Megabazes
uttempted to eon-
Jllings."
n has a hut on the
)selj fitted in the
he young children
fall into the lake
give fish for fod-
nian has opened
^rd into the lake,
ish."
palm, as seen in
d covering,
ylindrical pillar,
From its extreme
jpported upon a
re like a branch
load for a man.
id is replaced by
3f leaf, until the
umference.
rst, there is the
many hundreds
ed by this tree.
If it be split
I just about to
' soft, pith-like
le cassava, and
the trunk ia
V-merican aloe,
quality. An-
3 ita, which is
THE WORLD ASHORE.
fil-er. «„d is th„, ready for c„„.u„pUo„ ''' " '""" """^ »' i'"
Besides tlie Wiiurn"',. '"*"*°"°° "" ""eller,.
ou». There are four larg vi^^e'r' 7, ',"; ■"""•■"• -e nu.ner-
Instead of „si„g t,,e ,,, „„„„ Zw ^ H M ""'"" "" ^'""•«^-
TH» WA„R>, UK. „„«,„,„ „ ,„„^„ ^^^^_^_^
tlieir habitations on nilc« m„^» f,.„ .1. ■
■""..age to cut these tree 1 „o,;"''T°'''' """• "o" ">'y
hTd that it will turn the ed!e o IT' 't'',' "'"" "'" """<•'» ™
■«'r„ ,. nor do I know how thZ , ""' ^ '"'™ '"" '"«■■> "bl" to
botto™ of the la^ra tL^ ^.rrXt': '•'■" ,""-■ "''"' ""» ">«
doseribe the process. But the fl., ^'"'' ''"™ "''S''""«<' '«
n„„ n.. .u."^ ., """"»''"" remains, and is « v.rv !.,.,„-,.
... ,"" "'""" Pi'«» <!TOS8-bearas are l-iirl fn- ii, ^ Mtere^tmg
of light wood, and when the m„f i. 1, ^ '"P^""' "' P'""''^
""lis. the bouse i» complete ' "'"' '""'*""''» «''»'}'
794
fttsA ASTD tANti;
When the gpdhiafds first entered the Gulf of Maracaibo, and cattle
within view of the lake, they were struck with amazement at these
curious habitations, and called the place Venezuela — «. e.. Little
Venice — a name which has since been extended to the whole'of the
large province.
THE WONDERFUL LAKE DWELLERS OF SWITZERLAND.
Having even thus casually referred to the Waurus, and merely inci-
dentally mentioned their prototypes of Switzerland, further notice of
the latter is rendered necessary, especially as in all the phenomena of
tribal existence, none are so surprising as the habits and attainments
• of the tiwiss Lake Dwellers. In the years 1853-54, great drought
prevailed in nearly all Switzerland, and the winters were so cold that
the little water that remained in the rivers was frozen, which cut off
:all supply from the lakes, until in many places their dry beds beaan
to appear. Such a scarcity of water was never before known to the
people then residing near the lakes, and great distress was felt in
consequence. But this drought did not prove altogether unfortunate,
for by disclosing, as it did, several lake beds, a most remarkable
discovery was made, viz : the relics of a race or tribe not previously
known to exist ; a people whose habits were identical with those of
the Maracaibo Lake Dwellers, whom I have just mentioned.
The houses which this ancient people inhabited were built on piles
driven into the Swiss lakes, and they had walls wattled and plastered
with clay, so as to make them comfortable at a time when Europe
was no doubt passing through the glacial period. Not only were the
piles upon which the houses were built, and fragments of the walls
•discovered, but also numerous specimens of the weapons, ornaments'
cooking utensils, and even food used by the inhabitants were brought
to light after centuries of inhumation below the waters. °
The resemblance, indeed identity, between many articles found in
the beds of the Swiss lakes and those still in common use amoncr
several savage tribes of the Americas, is more than remarkable ; bu't
more wonderful still is the fact that among these resurrected relics
are found not a few that are identical with inventions of modern
times, upon which the period of exclusive right had not expired, when
the discoveries referred to were made.
Learned ai^chroologists tell us that these lake habitations were
evidently in use during the stone age, prior to the time when liie
became known. This is proved by the quantity of stone weapons
cles found in
■"W WOKLD ASBOEE.
and domestic implements wliich h»^. i . ^'*
penod of occupation is also estaWilL ,7 ?"'' '" "" ''"''^- A long
the architecture of these lake tellt ^^ /"«. f*-nces shown if
people were progressive, each gene™!'^ ^'"t "» ''■"™ "-at these
^^o^rr^rr r '-~ ^""""""^ "'"
lake-dweilings is easily u^de"™;?''' "" ""'^'^^ "^ '"ese
d men by some powerful machine; i„t„, J Jf^ ''""' "P™ P"«'.
Pdes were connected by cross-beams "n Tht "i ""^ '"'"'• ^hes^
fastened with thongs, and „„ th" th. ,1" " """""S ™^ Wd,
reared tall enough inside to al „w a man ^ t" r""^"-"'"™ "-
™ofwaspeakedtoacommo,,oentIr"aTthat^h"H "'' '*""«''*' "■«
The reason for building the^e J;e ■ ^''"^''^^ «" as to turn rain
prompts ".ilitary engineer ,0 urn:dt'he""f=""" '" ""■* ^''^
With water. 1„ those primitive tl '" "'"' «"«>'« filled
s^olb Th" -•'"^'^' -«'' » ™h cave bT; Zu h"""'" " "™'""«" --
so that these lacustrine habitatioL b,ovL l"' "'"' '"'•g'"- »»i".als,
such enemies could „. assault WW eo,t , '*™"g'«''<'s which
■ hunter, he was » . i,nt„rf . „ "^ origmal man was no donht ,
intelligencealo, . Jet'^^"""^ '"""' -«"- "om whth L:
Avastquantit;"™: TfThi '" T '""' """•
from the lakes, ,rtich poe's extra "T"' ™™ ''"'' ''»™ '^covered '
l»"ogrst. The original' pil ha T f mT '•""' "" '"^ "»"■-
st"nd.ng, and several we e drawTf;, th, ^ "'"""'"'''' '«"'" '"""d
depth to which they had bee, driven "';'7'""» "' determining the
of the huts have also been found .oZ'thef'^r" "' ''"' """'^-J "«""
"•.plements n.ade at a very ea Iv ;^^ G^e T "'"" """""'" <" ^"'"e
a so been found, the cresfent be r. ; fav„, ''""'""'''' "' '"'""r have
of utensils of crescentic shape hlV it™ u"'"'?™'* "'"'" ■"">"«■•
These relics were the S , 7 """ ''i'^overed.
tte lake dwellings ^.htnrwel"^::" 'T'' "''"^"'^ "^ '
those people improved upon thel! ' 'T'''<'">g generations of
and substituted metal fjln'."'"'"'^. ""■■'' •" their proge„i,„,."
'vhich they smelted the 1 "s XnT '"T"'^' """ «'<' -"-ner in
work, are, however, abundant such l"- ^"""P'" <" "■^'' """•'i-
n*i/*tI„rto- I- - "ttiiL, sucn as avps. on/,.. .» ...
. Ki„,e,, bracelets ajid hairpin« nnrf „■' 1 •' "' '"■™w-heads,
abe-thereare specimens of "he iden7 ' " ''""'«'^y '•™'"*-
»n.vers.l use in nurseries. ,/,eLXS """'° """ "' "*""''
796
SEA AND LAND.
T.
We have abundant evidence of the kind of food which these lafc^
and cut by them, and also, singula,- to relate, the kind of brea°d they
^t;» ™ %/ '""!"""'• *'">"■ '"■'""' ""« "f 'I"" """■■-•'est character
be ng „„de from grains of corn that were first rousted, then pounded
^.th a stone and pressed into cakes. Even fruits ha;e len Lnd
ready cut and prepared for consumption, the apple einl qu !
seeTl'? tT""f "" '"'"''" ^P""™™^- There hav^'also be,! found
nts a, ??"',"• >»P"»7;"d Olaekben-y. also hazel and bee h-
-S Wh:f^.l lev' T""V" '"'■'• ^' ""' P^-'P'" ""=,„selvesl
" passed »L,hT.r "^'"'"' O"'™"""', and whither have they
passed? Noth,ng but the age-cove,ed relics mentioned remain to tell
us that such a singular people ever existed.
. ' THE TREE DWELLERS.
As niees of men a,e found dwelling in lakes, r,ve,-s .u,d caverns so
do we find others making thpir habitations amon.. the treefasTf tl
prove that ma,.kiud. ^. his undeveloped state, adopts th Z's , f a,^-
mals among wh.oh he maintain., a struggle for existence. Some in es
the ravages o beasts, with which he is unable to contend drive hm
uZ "''^^V'^f ■"" '"^ -™ '» ""P"^ to him the ,ost s7nlul :
.dea„ leading to the adoption of equally curious modes of liWn!
The same results may arise from oppi-ossions imposed by a m°fe
powerful race; and yet again, in the wildernesses of the worid wire
there ,s no stimulant to ambition, we occasionally fl,,rZ t t .
he^d,datthe dawn of creation -in shape a hu'mun. i: c" ,IdiZ":
«u"r Tdn'ofTf '•"*" "' "'"""""'" ^""S"' "^o "*" f"'- "-eir sin-
gula, mode of life ,n const,-ucti„g their dwellings high up upon the
u::fz^x:^:::t^:tr7:''-^^ r -'^ ^^ ^ "
Ba^one, of South CenCl' A^^^a, at"' el wtwfusrXy '^
«y rehable ,nformat,o„. Mr. Moi5fat, the well-known missionarv
tie, r ^'™", "' '" """"^ '""'^«^""S d-eriptions of th TfZ;
^itZfiLtrdtitr '"' "-'' *-"'-«- ^-- -""-
,,, » , THE HOUSES OF THE BAKONE8.
ground. I entered, and sat down. Its only fu,.„it„re wastte ha; which
ood which these Jake-
•ious animals gnawed
e kind of bread they
he coarsest character,
ousted, then pounded
its have been found
e apple being quite
have also been found
so hazel and beech-
people themselves!
id whither have they
tioned remain to tell
vers and caverns, so
ig the trees, as if to
'pts the ways of ani-
stence. Sometimes
contend, drive him
rn the most singular
s modes of living,
nposed by a more
of the world, where
find man living as
nan, in condition a
Joted for their sin-
high up upon the
not only build iso-
3trange people the
, because they are
I of whom we have
nown missionary,
as of the African
i^e years, writes as
liiity feet from the
vasthe hay which
ARABS ATTACKINa THE BAKOKs TKEE PWEU.EES.
797
798
SEA AND LAND.
covered the floor, aspear, a spoon, and a bowlful of locusts. Not having?
eaten anything that day and from the novelty of my situation, no!
wishing to return immediately to the wagons, I asked a woman who
sat at the door with a babe at her breast, permission to cat. This
she granted with pleasure, and soon brought me more in a powdered
state. Several more females came from the neighboring roosts
stepping from branch to branch, to see the stranger, who was to
them as great a curiosity as the tree was to him. I then visited the
different abodes, which were on several principal branches The
structure of these houses was very simple. An oblong scaffold
about seven feet wide, is formed of straight sticks. On one end of
th.8 platform a small cone is formed, also of straight sticks, and
thatched with grass. A person can nearly stand upright in if the
diameter of the floor is about six feet. The house stands oil the
end of the oblong, so as to leave a little square space before the
BARBARIC DESTRUCTION OF CHILDREN.
The Bakones are not a numerous tribe now, though believed to
have been once populous; their timidity and infamous practices have
done much to diminish their numbers. The Arabs, knowing them to
be a cowardly people, have captured thousands .nd sold them into
slavery, and even to this day occasionally attack the Bakoue villages
not so much to make them slaves as to plunder them of the iv°onl
they may |)0S8ess. 5 ^
The Bakones are extremely Ijuperstitious, and carry their barbaric
Ignorance to the point of sacrificing infants to the gods they worship.
It .8 also their custom to kill their children for the most frivolous
causes,, so that comparatively few are suffered to attain their major-
ity. If a child turns from one side to another durinc sleep it is
murdered, because the Bakones believe an evil spirit has influenced
the act, and therefore will continue control of the child if it be allowed
to live. All deformed children are at once put to death; so are all
infants that cut the upper teeth before the lower ones appear.
The Bakones have few weapons and rely chiefly on the bow and
arrow, with which they hunt the antelope species and smaller animals.
1 hey also use a strange weapon made like a two-pronged hoe, with
short handle, which is of great service to them in digging out ground-
anima.3 such as mice, moles, ipis, ^ts, 8i»al| spikes, etc., all of
iwhich they eat with avidity. f ■■■t ■ *
. Not having
ituation, not
woman who
) cat. This
a powdered
)ring roosts,
who was to
1 visited the
iches. The
Qg scaffold,
one end of
sticks, and
fc in it; the
inds on the
before the
believed to
ictices have
ing them to
them into
ue villages,
'. the ivory
ir barbaric
>y worship,
t frivolous
leir major-
sleep it is
influenced
be allowed
so are all
;ar.
) bow and
)r animals.
hoe, with
it ground-
tc., alj of
THE WORLD ASHORE
799
There i, also a ::r„7;Lrj;;^"' °"'""-
coast of New Guinea, that spttd „ 7 'j ''"'"-" ''"< "n the
branches of trees. Their hulsa e h u "' """■■ ''"'« «"•."" he
e'earing is ™ade for the ,>Cso but 1 '*"" "" "-""'■'>. wl^r a
«» »ro the monkey,, „ith wl i^h theh- t^;"" """"^ "'"•'>■' f"«n<l
e.ther resting „„ -he li„,h, „t trees ^ n,''"''^ f "''''''''^ P"i»lated
from braneh to branch, by which til * "« ^^"'" "V I'V leanin.
touching the ground. ^ ""'' "'"^ "-"I '<»• ."iles wi,ho„ro; f
""•""'•"^Of »«=„,»,«.
The tribes of this part of Ne» r •
^pecmens of the I-o^uan \tl '^r"" "'" ['^ »-' '"^ans agreeable
""d lightly ib„iU. Xheir ski ,1 7 / ■"■" '""■'^'y "f ">iddle si.e
»e»ttb«ir, bodies wi h reVo rf fr:'""'^ """"' ""O ""ey o,
faees ,„bfch ,,, „, as sc", et' 'r'";* "P'"''" ""-"»■' to their
» « a dirty set of people 2T' ?'" '"'" """» 'he™. They
which »iv. .■,._, . "^ ' "' "'"' ■'™ subject *8 .fi«»ao<.g „f ., . . '
n....?;- — """-ery repulsive appearance. '"" """'
not used 1)v th
^"mm. They ^.ost,;\:;"; ;i"' 'irrL.""' ?"-^
jPJ<i;te.d leaves
of
Of
800
8EA AND LAND.
rushes, about five inches wide, and so long that, when ticu togeth
behind, the ends hang do\Vn for ai foot or so. Some of thuni adoi
this belt with a large white shell,: placed exactly in the middle. Ea
rings of plaited rattan; necklaces' and bracelets are worn by near
all. Some of them have a vfery ingenious armlet, several inches :
width. It is made of plaited rattan, and fitted .so tightly to tl
limb that, when a native wishes to take it off for sale, he is oblige
to smear his arm with mud, and h-^ve the ornament drawn off by ai
other person.
The agility of these Papuans is really astonishing. Along tl
water's edge there run wide belts of mangroves, which extend f(
many miles in length with scarcely a break in them. . ground
a thick, deep and soft mud, from which the mangrove-roots sprino- i
such numbers that no one could pass through them, even at lo"
water, without the constant use of an axe, while at high water a
passage is utterly impossible.
As the natives, who are essentially maritime in their mode of life
have to cross this belt several times daily in passing from their canoe
to their houses, and vice versa, they prefer c )ing so by means of th
upper branches, among which they run and leap, by co'ist^ iit practic
from childhood, as easily as monkeys.
The familiarity of these people with the trees causes them t( 'ool
upon a tree as a natural fortress, and as soon as explorers succeeded
in reaching the villages, the natives invariably made off, and climbe(
into the trees that surrounded their miserable little huts. Seenamonj
the branches, whithv^i they had taken refuge, their resemblance t(
monkeys was so striking that they were given the very appropriate
title of Monkey-men, by which they are now known among ethnol
ogists.
\g that, when tieu together
so. Some of thL-m adorn
cactly in the middle. Ear-
ace lets are worn by nearly
i armlet, several inches in
id fitted .80 tightly to the
off for snle, he is obliged
)rnament drawn off by an-
y astonishing. Along the
mgroves, which extend for
: in them. , ground is
} mangrove-roots spring in
irough them, even at low
B, while at high water all
'-'A
ime in their mode of life,
1 passing from their canoes
c )ing so by means of the
leap, by co'ist.,nt practice
trees causes them t( 'ook
)n as explorers succeeded
j\y made off, and climbed
lelittle huts. Seenamonj;
ige, their resemblance to
ven the very appropriate
[)W known among ethnol-
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